Lean On Me
by Howlitzer
Summary: A young girl with a troubled past moves into Lan's neighbourhood, two years after he and Maylu found they couldn't be more than best friends. Can Lan help mend a broken soul, and save the world from a new threat at the same time? *Being heavily edited*
1. A New Beginning, A Half Second Embrace

_I am...to be...what, exactly? Who am I supposed to be? Who will tell me? Who will show me?_

_The truth is...I don't know what it means to be happy anymore...to live...to grow..._

_I've realized something...disturbing. I'm supposed to be so smart, yet this problem...eludes me to a certain extent. It scares me..._

_...Alone...I am alone. I realize it, now. I feel it, I see it. Nobody to keep me warm. No protection. No friends. No reminders, no encouragement. _

_It's amusing, if you can call it that...I had everything...love...warmth...security...and it was taken away from me in an...instant..._

_It hurts so much...everything...gone...every single moment...I cry...alone...alone...why? Why? Why? WHY? WHY? WHY ME? WHY DO I HAVE TO HURT? I DON'T DESERVE THIS, DO I! WHY CAN'T I BE STRONG? I..._

_I want to die...please...take me too...please, don't torture me like this...I don't want to live like this...please...please..._

She sat on the wet grass in the park, the rain pouring down around her. She didn't care, or want to care. She just wanted happiness...

There was blood all over her dress, turning the white fabric a deep crimson red. The rain slowly washed fresh blood off her hands. Her sky blue eyes were empty and motionless. Tears ran down her face as the paramedics carried two bloodied bodies out of the wrecked house.

She was only ten years old. Too young to know what this meant, some said. But she knew perfectly well. She suddenly giggled for a bit as the tears spilled down her face. The giggle turned into a soft laugh as her shining blonde hair brushed across her lips. The laugh became louder...and louder...and louder...her body was shaking with laughter, and she fell back on the damp grass, holding her sides as her laughter was becoming uncontrollable. She laughed, and laughed, and she couldn't stop.

She didn't stop, or want to stop. She wanted happiness. And she was enjoying the bit she had at the moment, thank you very much.

* * *

At fifteen, he had already felt the long-lasting effects of heartbreak.

He looked at her from his window, and let out a sigh. Why this guy? It seemed so..._cliché_...girl next door falls for rich, handsome local hero, who happens to be the rival of the lovable, clueless best friend-who-wants-to-become-more-than-that type of guy.

Too bad he was the latter, and not the former.

_Damn that Chaud..._was what he was thinking. Lan Hikari felt - no, knew - he had lost his chance with her...the girl next door...

_Maylu... _he said to himself, _why couldn't I have you? Is it...that this wasn't meant to be?_

Maylu Sakurai was the ideal girl...at least...that's what he was thinking...maybe...this was a sign...

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time.

The first clue was when he spotted the two lovebirds smooching outside the theatre. This was about two years ago...

The place they had selected was just about inconspicuous to anyone passing by.

Unfortunately, the word_ inconspicuous_ wasn't in the vocabulary of one Lan Hikari, a likely reason why he stumbled onto the spot.

Maylu had asked if they could stay friends a couple days later. Lan didn't pass up the chance to preserve their long-standing relationship. But it had been a while, and he still felt uneasy, a litle hurt, and discouraged. He didn't know if he could find another girl like Maylu...

One thing was about to change his way of thinking, though.

She walked down the street, her eyes scanning the neighbourhood. They rested on a good-sized blue house, with a trimmed front lawn.

She had found her place.

It was perfect. A small, quiet neighbourhood, close to the train station, a beautiful park nearby...ACDC Town was the ideal place to rebuild a life, to mend a broken soul...

Her blonde hair shone in the midday sun, her blue eyes sparkling in the light. She wondered if she really could follow her destiny here...she had no parents, no relatives...nobody to lean on...

She shook the thoughts out of her head. All of that hadn't stopped her before. She could do this.

She stepped inside the house and found everything set up to her liking. She smiled. The movers had been paid well and given proper instruction. She didn't want it any other way.

A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts.

She opened the door, and saw a woman in a purple dress, with short brown hair and a friendly smile. She held a cake in her hands, and spoke cheerfully.

"Hello! Welcome to the neighbourhood. My name is Haruka Hikari. I'm from that house across the street, the one with the doghouse out front...umm...here! I baked this cake especially for you and your parents...may I ask where they are?"

The young girl struggled to come up with an answer...she felt compelled to tell this woman everything...she pulled herself together, and gave an answer.

"My parents...died...a long time ago. I came here on my own. Thank you for the cake, Ms. Hikari. I hope to see you again soon."

Haruka felt her mind go blank, and she had to force herself to speak. The girl's words, and the way she said them, were almost surreal...like some kind of...alternate reality, or something...

"...I...I'm sorry. I guess...it would be nice to see you again...can...can you tell me your name?"

"My name is...Ciel."

"Yes...it was nice to meet you, Ciel...goodbye, for now..."

"Goodbye, Ms. Hikari."

Haruka walked silently across the street. _This is...a surprise...oh...I think I need...to lie down..._

When she did get home, she immediately fainted onto the living room couch.

* * *

"Hey, Lan! I just heard someone finally moved into that house across from you. Want to go say hi?" Maylu called to her friend from her window.

"Sure," he replied, "I'll be right down in a flash!" Lan put on his sneakers, and grabbed his PET before walking out of his room.

The screen flickered on to reveal Lan's trusted Net Navigator and twin brother, Megaman.

"Heya, Lan. Where we going?"

"We're going to help welcome someone to the neighbourhood, Megaman. I wonder if these guys like to netbattle?"

"Is that the only thing you think about, Lan? It's a wonder you have an A-plus average at school, how do you manage to concentrate?"

"It's all in the genes, bro."

"Riiiiight. C'mon, we don't wanna keep the ladies waiting."

Lan met up with Maylu on the sidewalk. "Hi, Lan. What's up?"

Maylu had matured more beautifully and gracefully than anyone could imagine. She had a slim, curvaceous body that would make most guys weak in the knees. Her chestnut-coloured eyes sparkled like diamonds, and she allowed her red hair to grow down to her shoulders, giving her a look that added edge, but also made her look a little bit younger, as well. She was wearing a red vest with a pink tank top, and a red skirt with white knee-length socks. She had bright yellow sneakers on.

Lan smiled. "Not much, just doing some homework..."

"You? Doing homework, again? On the weekend, no less? I never thought I'd see the day..." Maylu replied good-naturedly.

"Yeah, well you've seen it, and now you've gotta believe it!"

Lan hadn't changed too badly either. He mostly wore his headband around his neck, allowing his messy brown hair to scatter on top of his head. Some of it hung over his forehead, shading his chocolate brown eyes a little. He had an athletic build, and there was visible definition in the muscle on his body. He wore his standard blue vest, opened up to reveal a black shirt underneath. He wore navy blue shorts that went past his knees, and had bright blue basketball sneakers on his feet. The Hikari family logo was stitched onto the sides of the shoes.

"Well, we're not getting any younger, so let's go," Maylu said.

"Yeah, might as well," Lan replied.

The two knocked on the door and heard footsteps approaching. The door opened, to reveal a young girl, about the same age as both Maylu and Lan. Lan started to speak, but the sight before him stopped him cold.

"Hello, welcome to...the...neighbour...hood..."

Ciel practically looked an angel from Heaven to Lan. She had a slender, curvy frame that could literally stop traffic, bright, sky blue eyes that could put you into a trance, long blonde hair that shone like the Sun itself. She had on a red shirt that revealed her midriff, a short pink skirt, and was wearing flip-flops that revealed her dainty toes. She had an aura of innocence and purity about her that couldn't be ignored.

Lan felt that he couldn't speak, his heart was racing faster and faster…what could he do? What could he say? He somehow managed to pull himself together and speak, finally.

"Sorry...I kind of blacked out there…my name's Lan Hikari, I live across the street."

"My name's Maylu Sakurai and I live right beside him, in the pink house. It's nice to meet you, and welcome to the neighbourhood, again," Maylu said gracefully.

"Thank you very much," Ciel replied politely. She started to think about what she was going to say next, when she finally looked into Lan's eyes.

It was only half a second, but it seemed like an eternity to both of them. One hundredth…Two hundredths…Three hundredths…

Everything stopped moving at once. It seemed like there was no gravity, that nothing else existed…time had stopped, but was still going at the same time.

There wasn't anything to think about. Nothing to say. Ciel and Lan both were caught in this half-second trance and neither wanted to let go. Still, they knew they had to at some point…but it seemed too soon.

The half-second was up. Lan and Ciel blinked simultaneously. There was something there, they both felt it. An unthinkable, undeniable force was moving between them. Neither shoved it off. The thought remained inside both of them. Ciel broke the split second silence.

"My name is Ciel. Ciel Amé. It's very nice to meet you both. Um…would you both like to come in, for a bit? I'm in the middle of cooking something, and I would be delighted if I could share it with you."

"Sure, why not? We would love to try your cooking, Ciel. We'll stay," Lan replied.

Lan and Maylu walked into the house, and Ciel shut the door after them.


	2. Hidden Truths

Lan and Maylu sat in Ciel's living room while she cooked. "It'll be a while longer," she had said.

Maylu was commenting on the design of the room, but decided to change the subject. There was something she wanted to know...

"Hey, Lan...how come it took you so long to greet Ciel at the door, huh?" Maylu added a sly wink for effect.

Lan was blushing quite a bit as he answered. "I-I was thinking about something else, okay? It just...took me a bit to regain my composure."

"Sure, Lan. Whatever you say," Megaman chimed in.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Maylu made a 'kissy-kissy' motion with her lips. "C'mon, Lan. You know you do..." she added.

"Ha, ha, very funny." _Guess she didn't pick up on that stare we gave each other after that, or she'd really be on my case... _Lan said to himself.

"But in all seriousness, if you _do _have a thing for her, Lan...I suggest you go for it. Y'know, for _your_ sake, and all..."

"Right, and I'm the Pope. You're suggesting this cause you're worried that we might fall into an uncomfortable relationship again..."

"...And that _this_ time we could come out of it with bitter feelings if it doesn't hold up again, which means that we wouldn't likely be friends afterwards. I'm tempted to go back, you know that, right?" Maylu asked.

"If you're as tempted as I am, then yes, I do know," Lan replied.

"This sucks. Why couldn't it hold up? I mean, it was so perfect..."

"I know...just...too many things got in the way...guess it wasn't meant to be..."

"...I know. I just wish..."

The two friends sat together in silence for a while before Lan decided to speak up.

"So...how's everything with...you know..."

"You mean Chaud, I'm assuming."

"Yeah."

"Well...we're pretty good, I guess...I mean, it's been about two years, and...just a lot of usual stuff, you know, couple of fights, couple of make-ups, going out, staying in...contrast galore, if you ask me. Kind of like our personalities. Maybe that's why everything works out so well most of the time. It's just...I can't explain it, y'know?"

"Yup. Heard that."

"And besides all that, he's giving me netbattle lessons periodically. Who knows, maybe I'll be better than you soon!"

"Keep dreaming, Sakurai. I'm in a totally different league."

"Hah! We'll see about that, won't we, Roll?"

"I'm ready if you're ready, Maylu," Roll called back.

"Hey, Megaman. Ready to teach these rookies a lesson?" Lan said playfully.

"Anytime. Class is soon to be in session, kids."

"Whatever. Let's do it!"

"Right!"

"Lan, Maylu, I'm finished out here. You guys hungry?" Ciel called out. The netbattle would have to be postponed until later.

Maylu feigned disappointment. "Darn, and we were about to mop the floor with you, too."

Lan rolled his eyes. "People ever tell you that you're a dreamer, Maylu?"

She jokingly socked him in the arm for the comment, and the two went into the kitchen. They found a welcome surprise when they got there.

"Um...I hope you guys are hungry, because I think I cooked a bit too much food..." Ciel said sheepishly.

"Hey, that's no problem. We'll help you eat it all, Ciel." Lan said.

"You mean _you'll_ help her eat it all, Lan," Maylu joked.

"Enough talking, let's eat!" Lan shouted.

Everyone sat down and dug in.

* * *

"Powerful, isn't it?"

"Yes...I must admit, it is. You're a man of your word."

"Of course, this is just an empty shell right now. But we can change that."

"I'm sure you can. Will you have Miss Ame work on it, as well?"

"Yes, she will be in on this project, I'm sure. I don't know how long she'll be working on it though, so projected dates may vary."

"Oh, that's fine. The quality is what I care about. I look forward to what lies ahead."

"As do I. Tomorrow, then."

"Yes, tomorrow. Goodbye."

He stood in the hallway for a few moments after his visitor left, thinking about what he was going to do about the 'project'. It seemed like a lot of work. But that was nothing now. He had a plan in case it failed, a plan that would ensure him success, no matter what.

They didn't call him 'Doctor' Weil for no reason, now, did they?

_An ingenious plan...if my solution won't be accepted_, _then I will simply create a problem to be solved. Then, they all will come crawling back to me for my ingenious solution. Of course, I'll have to give it to them...for a price, of course. _

_But I don't need to do that, yet. He seemed very impressed with what he was already shown. _

"Doctor Hikari...you've made a wise choice." He said to himself.

Weil walked back down the hallway. His dream was about to become reality.

Or so he thought.

* * *

"Thanks again, Ciel! We'll see you later!"

Lan and Maylu left Ciel's home stuffed and happy. The three had chatted for a while after dinner, and had found that they shared a lot in common. It also turned out that she was going to the same school, and was attending her first set of classes tomorrow. Maylu agreed to help her around the school, while Lan planned to introduce her to everyone around. The next day was going to be eventful, they agreed.

But Maylu noted something strange about the evening...she didn't want to be pessimistic or anything, but _something _stuck her as odd...she decided to ask Lan about it as well.

"Hey, Lan...did you notice something...I don't know, different, perhaps, about Ciel's place?"

Lan thought for a moment. "Not really...except for the fact that we didn't see her parents at all today...and the fact that she didn't tell us much of _anything_ until we asked her."

Maylu shrugged. "Her parents could just be at work, Lan."

"Yeah, but she could have told us _that _when we came in. Or went out. Add to that the fact that there are absolutely no pictures of her - or her parents - anywhere in the house."

"And," Megaman added, "there was only _one_ pair of shoes at the front door. A family of at least three has more than one pair of shoes at the door."

"So what does any of _that _mean?" Roll asked.

"I dunno," Lan replied, "but it sure deserves a closer look. We should ask her, but without prying too much."

"We'll do that later. I'm too sleepy to think, and it's time to turn in anyways. Goodnight, Lan."

"'Night, Maylu."

The two gave each other a quick hug, then went off to their respective houses.

Lan walked into the house to see his mother sitting on the couch with a solemn look on her face.

"Mom? What's wrong? Something happen?"

She nodded. "That girl...across the road..."

"You mean Ciel, right?"

"Yes...her...her parents are..."

"They're what, Mom?"

"They're...dead...passed on..."

"There's no way...when did this happen?" Megaman asked.

"A few years ago...she said..." Haruka could barely summon the strength to speak a few words, let alone a whole sentence.

"That explains everything, then..." Lan said. "I'm going to sleep, mom. Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams, honey...and please...do what you can...to help her..."

"I will, mom."

Lan walked upstairs.

* * *

The door had shut long ago. Lan and Maylu had left.

And it was a good thing, because she couldn't hold herself together anymore.

She shivered, even though the room was warm.

Her legs gave way, and she fell onto her knees.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she started to hyperventilate, making every breath she took a struggle.

Voices in her head, pain in her gut, body shaking, legs frozen...she started whimpering, softly, softly.

A waking nightmare. She couldn't control it. No way to stop it, only prolong the inevitable.

Every single night, for five years, she had these breakdowns. There was nothing she could do to stop it.

Every single night she cried, and every single night, she picked up a knife.

Her eyes glittered for a split second whenever she held it. Every night she moved it closer to her.

Closer.

Closer.

After five years it became an impulse. The closer she came with the knife, the closer she came to ending it all...

Tonight, it was touching her throat. She wondered what she was going to do after this, but she knew one thing for certain.

She was going to kill herself. She didn't want to, but she was going to. Why put it off, and be miserable forever?

She smiled, a twisted smile. She giggled, then laughed louder, and louder, and louder...

She looked for the knife...but suddenly pulled her hand away from her stomach, to find it covered in blood. She laughed, harder this time. This was bliss, she said to herself.

She felt herself fainting..._I'm going to die... _

She didn't hear the door open, she had left it unlocked..._I'm going to die... _

Her eyes closed, but she heard a voice. A familiar voice. She could hear that it was panicked, though...

"...medic...hurry...bleeding...death...Hikari...house...Ame...matter!...going to...know that!..."

_I'm going to die..._

She drifted into darkness.


	3. Jigsaw Puzzle, Part 1: Past Uncovered

Ciel silently lay on her hospital bed, staring out the window across from her. She couldn't bear to look at the person who was sitting beside her, his worried face bringing the feeling of guilt into her mind. The worst part about it was that he was sleeping, how much worse would she feel when he woke up? It was a question that she didn't want the answer to.

She figured that he would leave as soon as the doctors said that she was fine. Everyone else did, didn't they? But somehow...there was a feeling that this would be different, in many ways. A very strong feeling, that's what it was. Ciel didn't seem to trust her own judgement, until the person beside decided to speak up.

"Good morning, Ciel. Got enough sleep?"

"Yes, thank you, Lan...good morning to you as well."

Lan yawned and nodded. "Man, these chairs are pretty nice...I could sleep in one of these forever...but I've gotta get up..."

"Lan...if it's not too much trouble...could you stay a while longer, please?" Ciel looked away from Lan as she said this. "I need someone to talk to...about things."

"Well, that's okay. I mean, I stayed here all night, wouldn't make sense to bail on you now, would it?" Lan made himself comfortable in the chair again. "So...what is it you want to talk about?"

"I just need someone to talk to...about my problems... but I don't know if you really want to listen to someone like me, so depressed and lonely, because I'm afraid that...that..."

"That what?"

"All of it might make you as depressed as I am...and it's just that...noone ever really listened to me, not for real. I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm accusing you of anything..."

Lan looked over at Ciel, who quickly looked away from him. Lan looked at Ciel with a worried glance. "Listen...I'm willing to help you any way I can, Ciel. Anything you need, just tell me. I want to help you, but I can only do that if you trust me. It sounds cliché, I know, but it's the truth. So...I'm willing to listen to your problems if you're willing to tell me all of them. But first...please tell me why you can't look at me, Ciel."

Ciel kept her eyes away from Lan. "I know you'll find this foolish but...whenever I look at you...I feel so guilty about what I did to myself...for dragging you into all of this..."

Ciel started to cry quietly, tears falling from her eyes. She finally turned to face Lan, her eyes blurry.

"Please forgive me, Lan...please..."

Lan got up and put his arms around Ciel, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I already have, Ciel..."

A thought. She hadn't known if all of this was too good to be true, but now...there wasn't any question anymore.

She closed her eyes and hugged back.

* * *

"...At the hospital...yes, I understand...yes...okay, thank you. Goodbye."

Maylu sighed as she put down the phone. Lan had been gone the whole day for some strange reason, and of course she had to find out what it was. Turned out that he was at the hospital with Ciel...

Of course, it was much deeper than that...attempted suicide, she found out soon after that, and it was lucky that Lan noticed something was up, or she would have bled to death within the next hour or so. And then there was the million-dollar question: what would possess a girl like her to do something like this?

As she pondered this, there came a sharp knocking on the door. She got up from her couch and went to answer it. Chaud stood in the doorway, an irritated expression on his face. He spoke without hesitation as soon as the door opened.

"Maylu, don't say anything, just get something on, and come with me, please."

Long day at the office, she figured. It was probably a good idea to do what he said today.

Maylu quickly got dressed, put on a pair of boots, and headed out the door. She saw Chaud walk across the street...in the direction of the so-called 'crime scene', as it was called, or simply put, Ciel's house.

_Another strange occurrence...why is this any of Chaud's business?_

Maylu felt that she was going to do a bit of investigating of her own today.

* * *

"Thirsty? Brought some tea for you."

"What kind?"

"Camomile. It's your favourite, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"You went on about tea for about ten minutes straight with Maylu. That and you said it was your favourite about, five times maybe."

Lan handed Ciel a steaming cup of tea, then went to sit beside her with his own.

"Well, thank you, Lan...it was very sweet of you to do that. Anyways, what did you get?"

"Can of orange juice and peppermint tea. I'm a simple guy, you know."

Ciel giggled. "Guess I know now then, and you mean orange soda, right?"

"No, I mean orange juice."

Ciel looked skeptical. "In a can."

"Yes, in a can." Lan replied coolly.

"I'll have to try some later," Ciel replied. "So...I guess I really owe you...for everything..."

"Not yet. You still haven't told me what's been eating at you for so long...I mean...besides losing your parents..."

Ciel stared out into the hallway. "Yeah, guess your mother told you about that..."

"Well, it's just that...I know what it's like to lose someone you care about...like when I lost Megaman, for instance..."

Ciel looked at Lan. "Not to insult you, but he's...only a navi...I mean he's your friend and all, but..."

"He's more than that, Ciel...he...he is..."

"He's what?"

Lan took a deep breath before continuing. "He's my twin brother. Got sick when he was a baby, has his very soul converted to data, didn't find out about this until we fought the LifeVirus. There is - or _was_ - a slight barrier between us, that prevented us from feeling each other's pain, said barrier was removed, etcetera, etcetera, saved the world a couple times, among other things. This thing makes us stronger and weaker at the same time, because...I don't know, we can sort of feel each other, you know? It's weird...but cool at the same time...to be able to fight with the brother you never thought you had..."

Ciel looked at Lan with her eyes wide open in surprise. Lan had just given her a secret about himself - without her asking - that was a matter of life and death...if he could tell her that...

_He really does trust me...I...I can't keep this bottled up now, not after what he's told me..._

Ciel took a deep breath of her own before speaking. "Okay...my turn..."

She began to weave the story of her pain, as Lan listened on intently.

* * *

Maylu walked into the house, immediately noticing that something was different. It wasn't the appearance...it was the general aura of the place, as if it had been twisted by the hands of demons themselves. The air around was colder than usual - and this was with the air conditioning off.

"Enzan-kun...I don't like this..." Maylu was using Chaud's natural name, since it was hard getting out of the habit of calling him Chaud all the time. He did the same with Maylu sometimes.

"Just stay close to me, Meiru-chan. We'll be out of here soon enough, just need some information from this girl..."

"About what?"

"About someone she works for...someone named Weil..."

Maylu rubbed her arms to keep warm. "And this is important because…"

"Because this guy is involved in a major project with the Hikari Labs, and he was involved in another unsuccessful operation in another town. Apparently, he's using the same technology as did in his first attempt five years ago. At that same time, a top scientist working on the program data was murdered, and he took full responsibility for the project. The reason _we_ are here is because I've just found out that this young woman, Ciel, works for Dr. Weil, as they call him, and as a project co-ordinator, should have the necessary connections to any information about the company, and what exactly is going on here, right now. Any more questions, Maylu?"

She was still trying to process what he had just said, but nodded her head just the same.

Chaud surveyed the scene and started giving out orders.

"Good. Friesen, go check for any data devices up in her room, and bring any that you find back here. Robinson, I want you to call the hospital and get Lan Hikari on the line. Tell him to stay put with Miss Amé…we'll need to ask her a few questions."

The two men nodded and set off to their jobs. Meanwhile, Maylu was struggling to make all of the connections when something in her head clicked suddenly.

"Hold on…Enzan, did you happen to get the name of the scientist who was murdered five years ago?"

Chaud thought about this for a second. "Yeah, it was…Darien Ame…" He stopped cold. "You don't think…"

"Ciel, in the most likely event, is his daughter. This should mean that she has some kind of subconscious knowledge of the programs for this project…which is why she was hired in the first place…"

"Murder the father, wait five years, hire the daughter in another city. Bullet-proof. Just pray that the case goes cold, and you've got yourself a getaway." Chaud rubbed his temples. "And we've got no solid evidence to prove this, either."

Maylu smiled. "But we know someone who does. If she can remember what happened…"

"Then we've got ourselves a bridge to the past," Chaud finished.

"Hey, Chaud! Found a laptop in her room. Pretty heavy-duty, but no pass. Too complex to figure out anyways." Friesen came downstairs with a red laptop computer in his hands.

"Right, then…time to open this thing up…" Chaud looked at the computer nervously.

_Once I open the first file…this becomes more than routine, _he thought.

He took a deep breath."Here goes…"


	4. Jigsaw Puzzle, Part 2: Bridging the Gap

"I guess that I was destined to end up this way, as some kind of a sign or something...you're mostly proof of that, Lan. It's been hard to keep this inside of me, to be told that nobody could help me at all...it hurts to think about it, and it's on my mind each day. Everything...all the pain I've felt for the past five years...it started on a Sunday.

"It was my birthday that day, my tenth. It was also a symbol of all that I had fought through for the past decade. When I was born, the doctors said I wouldn't survive the month because I had 'irregular brain patterns', as it was said. Of course, it was that same irregularity that made me such a gifted student. I was attending high school and was being taught at the level of a graduating student. Everyone made the assumption that I would be in university by the next year, and they were right, of course. I got an acceptance letter from the local university in my town among my presents. I had been bullied and made fun of at school, because I was so much younger than everyone else. They thought that I couldn't understand what they were doing to me, but I knew full well. Too bad no one bothered to listen to me when I told them this. But I had the carefree nature of a young child, even though my mind was beyond that phase. I could be happy by myself, with my own thoughts. I felt at peace with who I was.

My parents...they helped me to become a better person, and helped me to cope with all of my struggles in life. My mother's name was Anne-Marie, and she was born in Paris, France. She's where I got my eyes from...but when you looked into her eyes...it was like staring into the ocean, and you could even imagine that you could hear waves crashing against the shore...it's what puts me to sleep every night, when I would dream of her. My father was a bit different. Not that we didn't have a good relationship, but...well..." Ciel stopped for a moment.

"What? What happened?" Lan inquired. He had been listening to Ciel's story the whole time, and was becoming even more interested than even he thought he would be.

Ciel sighed before continuing. "Well, he wasn't your ideal fatherly figure. His name was Darien. His father was French, and his mother was American, so that's why my last name is in French as well."

"Does your name have a meaning in French?"

"Yes, both my first and last names. Ciel is pronounced differently in French, and it means 'sky'. My last name, Amé, means 'soul'. Anyways...I got my hair from my father, because he was a blonde too. I probably got my intelligence from him too, because he was very smart as well. But he didn't really...oh, how to say this...um, 'establish a connection', so to speak. He was around a lot, but he never really spoke with me, unless it was about computer programs, or something related. Aside from that, he also asked me to help him with certain things from work...too bad I don't remember what those things were, though. You see, whenever I start working with a computer, sometimes I zone out or, or something. It's very strange...but then I'll have finished what I was doing by the time I snap out of it. Sort of scary, isn't it?"

Lan nodded. "Yeah, I'd be really freaked out, too. So...how do you deal with that? Because you work with computers all the time, from what you've told me."

"I guess...I just don't worry about it as much anymore. It's not that bad, really, because even though I don't remember doing anything, I can understand what's in front of me. So I guess it's for the best, isn't it? Well, we've gone off topic a bit...and as much I don't want to finish...I promised myself I would, so..."

Ciel took another deep breath, and then continued. "It all happened after I had my party. All of my friends went home, because it was about half past nine, and we had school the next day. My mother was cleaning up in the kitchen, while my father sat in the dining room. He kept saying that he didn't feel right, or something similar, the whole evening. My mother had just decided to help him upstairs...and then...there was an explosion in the living room. Everything went up in flames. Then we heard more of them upstairs, and when we went to the stairs, they blew up, too. I was beyond scared at this point - I had to will myself to even take two steps in the other direction. Somebody kicked down the front door, and we saw who did all of this...and although they were wearing dark helmets and visors, I could make out the genders and ages of each one.

"Their leader was a male about forty years old, I guessed, because I could see his beard with the light from the fires around us. There were two other guys, both younger, in their twenties. There was also one woman, in her thirties, about the same age as my mother. She had long brown hair, like my mother. And my mother kept staring at her hair, as if she was thinking about something..."

"Those...people stared at my father for a long time. Then the oldest one said, 'Friesen, I think you should put an end to the good doctor's little project...' I don't know what they meant but the leader grabbed me and twisted my head towards where my father was. He was begging and pleading to our captors, telling them not to shoot, saying that he would do anything...but they took no notice and...they...they shot him. N-Not once, b-b-but...s-s-ix t-t-t-times and t-they made me w-watch...I was s-screaming so loud..."

Ciel stopped and started crying, her face streaked with tears. Lan got up and held her tightly. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me anymore..." She shook her head and continued as she was calming down.

Ciel sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I saw my mother crying as well. She...she screamed at the people there, asking them why they had killed her husband...my father...and their leader tossed me beside my father and walked over to her. He whispered something in her ear, and it must have been something serious, because her eyes widened as he spoke...then he walked away. The woman in the group pointed her gun at my mother's heart. I screamed out, 'Please, don't hurt my mom...please, I need her, please, please don't kill her...' I kept asking as my mother walked up to me, knelt down and placed her arms around me. 'Ciel...I'm going to...die soon...' I cried and shook my head, but she kept speaking. 'I'm so sorry that it came to this...your father's the reason for all of this, but...I can only forgive him if you can too, with all of your heart...do you forgive papa?' I thought about it for a while, then looked into her deep blue eyes and nodded. 'Thank you, honey...' She hugged me tighter. 'Ciel...the only way that you can reach your destiny is if there's someone to help you along your path. It's impossible to do it all alone. You have a wonderful gift, Ciel...and if someone with a good heart can take care of you...there are so many wonderful things that you can do with your life. But you're the only one that can make the choice between light and darkness, and when that time comes, only you alone can make the decision. I love you with all of my heart and soul, Ciel...and a part of me will be with you always...God bless your soul, little one.'

"I hugged her with all of my might, and she squeezed back. I took one last look into her eyes...and then she got up and walked away from me. She had a look of peace and contentment in her eyes when I looked into them...like the water on a calm lake in the morning. The leader spoke again, his voice mocking in tone. 'Any last words, Miss Amé?'

My mother looked at him with defiance. "May God have mercy on your soul, Doctor." His face twisted into a snarl, and he fired on my mother. She fell to the floor, her eyes closed. Everything went blurry for a while after that, and then I just…wiped out. I woke up in the hospital, and everyone told me that I was laughing, like I was crazy or something."

Ciel looked at Lan. "And that's when I knew that I had lost it. That's it. All of it started at once. I was shipped around to foster homes through three cities, until I came here one day. That's when I got my job, last year. I had to make all sorts of arrangements, and that took a year…

"So that's the story of my miserable life, Lan."

Lan smiled and then laughed. Ciel had a confused look on her face. "What's so funny?"

"Come on, don't you get it? You're here! You've told me that you lost your home, your parents, and practically your whole life, and you're here! Don't you feel better knowing that?"

Ciel thought about this. She knew that she had lived through a nightmare…

_But he's telling me that I should be happy…because…because…_

Then, all at once…everything clicked. "All of it is…in the past…"

She smiled. "I see now…everything that I've experienced…didn't destroy me, or else…" Ciel let out a cheerful laugh. "Or else I wouldn't be able to tell you all of this, now would I, Lan?"

"Right! You've got it! Because what doesn't kill you…"

"…Only makes you stronger! And I feel…like the strongest person in the world. Thank you…for everything, Lan." Ciel got out of her bed.

"Anytime, Ciel." The two friends held each other in the middle of the room. Their silence was interrupted however, by the kicking in of the room door.

Two men stormed into the room, guns drawn, hostages struggling behind them…and these hostages were a bit too familiar to Lan and Ciel. They had ropes around their wrists, and bandannas stuffed into their mouths, but they were recognizable…

Lan's jaw almost literally dropped. "Chaud? Maylu? What happened? What are you…"

"Enough talk, kid. Time for you to die. You've done enough meddling…"

Ciel had a puzzled look on her face. "Wait a minute…don't you two work for Doctor Weil? I see you all the time at work…"

Lan looked equally confused. "But they told me that they were police officers. They were at your place last night…"

"All right! Both of you shut your traps, or else I'll kill you both!"

Ciel froze. "That voice…you…couldn't be…"

Lan turned to face the two men, and suddenly had a gun pointed into his face.

The man with the gun smirked. "Time's up, hero. Lights out."

He pulled the trigger.

* * *

Auhtor's Notes: Yeah, pretty mushy chapter. Anyways, I'm hoping that this will clear up anything left over from the beginning...but of course, with more answers come more questions, and so on. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far:

darkliger01: Thaks for the compliment. Of course, there just might be a happy ending to this, maybe not. We'll see.

White Alchemist Taya: Thanks for the encouragement! I promise that I'll try my best to keep it interesting.

A Shadow of Nothing: Well, I'm glad that you think so highly of my story. Just for you, I'll make the next chapter a cliffhanger.

Again, thank you all, and I hope you'll keep reading.


	5. Jigsaw Puzzle, Part 3: Panic Attack

Doing what any person would when backed into a corner, Lan reacted with a single, desperate motion, bashing his head against the gun held before him. The trajectory of the oncoming shot changed, and the bullet lodged itself into the floor between Lan's feet. Then, using his momentum, Lan slammed his shoulder into the attacker's ribs, hearing a loud grunt as he did so.

The other man in the room started to draw his gun, but Chaud, who was sitting on the ground beside him, swung a free leg out and tripped him up. The gun popped out of its holster and skidded across the room floor. Maylu had managed to break free of the ropes binding her hands, and started to undo the ones on Chaud's hands. As soon as he was free, he ran over and slugged the first gunman, who was just recovering from Lan's blow.

Lan found the gun on the floor, and immediately picked it up and opened fire. He blew the hinges off of the room door, allowing Maylu and Chaud to scramble off as it dropped. Ciel almost managed to make it out, but was grabbed by the second gunman. He hit her in the back of the neck, and she quickly fell to the floor, unconscious.

Lan took a right hook to the face from gunman number one, and lost his grip on the gun. A burst of fire was then heard, and Lan was spun around by an errant shot. He hit the ground face up, hand over his chest.

The two men quickly carried Ciel out the door, and fired several warning shots as they made their way out of the hospital. A screech of tires from outside, and they were gone.

Maylu and Chaud rushed back to the room with several police officers in tow. They found Lan on the floor, barely suppressing the panic inside of himself. Blood was flowing from the wound, but not too quickly.

Maylu rushed to his side, her eyes quickly filling with tears. "Lan! Lan, can you hear me! Lan, please hold on!"

Chaud was trying to keep as calm as possible, asking questions as the medics swiftly worked. "How bad is it?"

A medic gave him a sketchy response. "Not sure. It depends how far the bullet's gone...and if it hit any major arteries."

"I see." Chaud was getting more worried. _Come on, Hikari...don't die on us now..._

Lan was trying to breathe, spitting blood from his mouth to clear it up. He was trying his hardest not to make his body jerk in any way, to make the medics' jobs easier. His eyes moved back and forth, but mostly stared into Maylu's. Her voice also seemed to help calm him down.

The medics realized this quickly. "Keep talking, ma'am. We're almost done..."

"Hear that, Lan? You'll be okay...It'll be okay...it's alright..."

Lan had started mumbling something, as he was bleeding less through his mouth.

"Not...going to die...I'll live...I have to...

Maylu smiled. He was going to be okay, she knew. She placed a hand onto his. Lan looked at her, his eyes burning with determination.

"I'll be okay...I promise..."

She nodded. "I know. You always keep your promises, Lan...just get better soon..."

Lan managed a weak nod before drifting off. The medics carried him out on a stretcher, while the police officers started examining the room.

Chaud walked over to where Maylu was standing, looking out at the darkening sky.

"He'll be okay." Chaud spoke in an assuring tone, but Maylu was still worried.

"I know...it's just that...what's this going to do to him, his mentality, I mean? I don't want him to change because of this..."

Chaud replied calmly. "I think he's already changed a lot during all of this...more than either of us thought he could." He put his arms around her. "All we can do is hope it's for the better."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Maylu stared into the dark sky.

_All we can do is hope...for everyone's sake..._

* * *

"Amazing! And all of this was created by a 15-year-old, you say?"

"Yes, that is correct. Her name is Ciel Amé. I offered her a job here a few years ago. She's a diligent worker, and very clever as well."

Doctor Yuuchirou Hikari was at his lab, where he had invited Doctor Weil to demonstrate his new program, a net navigator program, to be exact.

"Of course, the program is not yet completed...but it will be in a few short moments..."

Dr. Hikari looked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

Just then, the lab doors were busted open by a swarm of masked gunmen. Two unmasked men held a young girl at gunpoint, shoving her towards Weil.

The doctor grinned from ear to ear. "Friesen...Robinson...you'll both be getting a hefty raise, I'll see to that. Any resistance?"

The first gunman, Friesen, shook his head. "Not from the cops, but that kid...I still don't know how he reacted so fast...plus, that Chaud punk slugged me in the jaw...he's got a nice swing, I'll give him that much."

Robinson, the second man, rubbed his jaw. "I got tripped up. Lost my gun. That Hikari kid blew the door off with it, that's why we don't have the other two. Stray shot from Friesen got him in the chest, though. Don't think he'll be coming back from that."

Dr. Hikari had a mixed expression of shock and rage. "What the hell's going on? What have you done with my son? And who is this girl?"

"This young lady is Ciel, the one I was speaking to you about. Your son, from what I can tell, is probably dead, or dying at the moment. Miss Amé is here to finish our little project for me, right now."

"And what makes you think you're welcome to stay here any longer?"

"Well, besides the fact that I'm not giving you a say in the matter...nothing, really."

Weil pulled out a gun and held it to Yuuchirou's head.

Friesen smirked. "Like father, like son."

Weil chuckled. "Not yet. We still have _some _use for him..."

He looked at Ciel, who was on the verge of tears. "But in the meantime, I think you should get to work, my dear...unless you would like to see the deadly science of physics in a live demonstration..." Weil looked like he could 'accidentally' pull the trigger and blow Dr. Hikari's head off any minute. Ciel took no chances.

"No, sir...I'll get to work, sir..."

Ciel reluctantly walked to the appointed workstation, her hands shaking. _It can't end like this..._

_It just can't..._


	6. Devastation

It was three days after the incident at the hospital. Lan was still there for treatment, and would be released in a few days. Maylu and Haruka were told by the doctors that he was going to be fine, and that they should go home and rest for a while. The two reluctantly headed back home as told.

Haruka, however, noted that something was wrong. She could've sworn that she called Yuuchirou and left him an urgent message regarding Lan. He wouldn't be _that _wrapped up in his work…would he? She sent the first message three days ago, then another the next, and another this morning…and still no reply.

_Honestly, that husband of mine…I'll have to call him right now, because he obviously doesn't know how serious this is…_

Haruka decided to dial Yuuchirou directly, and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Hikari. It's wonderful to finally hear your voice."

Haruka by now knew something was terribly wrong. "Who are you, and what has happened to my husband?" she asked.

"I'm terribly sorry; I must have forgotten my manners. My name is Doctor Weil. I'm your husband's…business partner, you could say."

"Business partner or not, this is his _personal _number. How could you get a hold of it in the first place?"

Weil chuckled. "Oh, that question and many others will be answered soon, and please, don't worry too much about your husband…because you'll be joining him shortly. Goodbye."

The phone immediately went dead, and Haruka suddenly had a very bad feeling about everything that was going on. She decided to head down to the Hikari Labs herself to see what the problem was.

Suddenly, she felt very uneasy, as if something just didn't feel like it should…like someone else was in the room, right behind her…

Haruka quickly spun around…but found that no one was there.

_I'm losing it…all this stress must be getting to me…_

But then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and froze up like a statue. And then she felt someone slipping a cloth over her face, the sweet smelling fumes causing her to slowly lose consciousness. Haruka wanted to fight it, she truly did, but she felt her arms being tied around her back, and it was becoming evident that she had no choice in what was happening to her…

As she felt her world go dark, she thought of her family…how it was being taken away from her…

_This…can't be it…it can't end this way…_

The world faded to black.

* * *

Maylu went to the hospital the next morning to check on Lan. She had called the Hikari household beforehand, but got no reply. Maylu figured that Mrs. Hikari had gone on ahead to the hospital, so she decided to go on her own as well.

She stepped out of the front door, and ended up looking at the house across the street. Before there were just a few police cars and ambulances at the scene, but now, the place was being guarded like some kind of fortress. Ciel's house had been declared a 'crime scene' since her kidnapping, as the police had suspected foul play in the night that Lan found her. Maybe it was a conspiracy, they figured.

Maylu, however, knew what was going on…or did she?

_Things have probably changed a lot over the last few days,_ she said to herself. On a whim, she decided to go and check out the situation, all the while having the feeling that she wouldn't like what she would find.

* * *

Lan Hikari woke up, his head still a bit hazy from last night's sleep. He still felt extremely weak…it had to be the painkillers, he figured. He never needed them, but the doctors taking care of him insisted strongly.

The door to his room opened, and a pretty young nurse stepped in to announce that Lan had a visitor. He guessed it was probably Maylu stepping into check on him, as his mother hadn't arrived yet.

Maylu poked her head inside the door. "Lan?"

"Hey, Maylu. Are you coming in?"

"Uh…yeah…" She stepped in and closed the door behind her.

"Hey, what's wrong? You seem a bit down today…can't say I blame you though…I'm not exactly a sight for sore eyes." Lan placed a hand on his chest, over his bandaged wounds.

"Lan…I have something to tell you…it's about Ciel…"

"What happened? Did they find her yet? Is she okay?"

Maylu looked at the floor. "Lan…I tried…please believe me, I really tried…"

Lan looked confused. "I…I don't understand. What's going on, Maylu?"

Maylu tried, but couldn't stop herself from crying. "I'm so sorry…I'm sorry…"

Just then, a swarm of police officers burst in through the door, and circled around Lan and Maylu. Chaud walked in last, a stern look on his face.

"I wish we could talk under more…pleasant…circumstances, Hikari, but…"

"Chaud, what the hell's going-"

"You're currently under arrest, on the charge of attempted murder."

"What're you-" Lan's eyes widened. "You can't be saying…no, that's not possible, you guys can't be thinking that I did that! No way!"

"Enzan, this is ridiculous!" Maylu protested, in tears over what was happening.

"This is what has to happen, Meiru. I can't change this…"

"Yes, you can! You know that full well, so why don't you do something?"

"Meiru, this is -"

"The way it has to be, right? No…no, it isn't…stop fooling yourself, Enzan."

Maylu turned and headed out the door. "Lan…please…take care of yourself…" she said before she left. She walked outside and leaned against the wall before losing her composure and sobbing uncontrollably.

_This can't be happening…this is a nightmare…_

Meanwhile, Lan was about to receive some news that would change his world…and Chaud had no good way of putting it to him.

"Listen, Hikari…I have something else to tell you…it's about your mother."

"What, did you arrest her, too?" Lan said bitterly.

"No…she's been kidnapped. Someone called in saying that they had her…but not much else. We're working on this as much as we can. So…don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Lan wanted to say something, but he felt frozen, like he couldn't move any part of himself. He wanted to cry, to scream, to hit something, all at once…but all he could do was sit there…because he knew that there wasn't a thing he could do…

_This…can't end this way…it just can't…_


	7. Choices: Heartspeak and Heartbreak

At this point, it seemed like everything was going wrong at once…and that there was no turning back from here. At this point, everyone needed to push forward and move on, but that was becoming harder and harder every moment.

Lan could feel the pressure of the situation getting to him, having received the news that his parents were missing, Ciel was being forced into a plot to take over the world by yet _another_ genius nutcase, and that he was about to be convicted for a crime that he didn't commit.

Those situations, he didn't have control over…but he noticed something that he could fix…and at that moment, he didn't feel so helpless anymore.

Lan was being marched out of the hospital with Chaud and the police officers, when he realized that there was one more thing he had to do.

"Hold on, Chaud." The group came to a halt.

"What is it, Hikari?"

Lan took a deep breath. "I need…to speak to Maylu before I go. It's important."

Chaud closed his eyes and thought about it for a bit. "Okay…go ahead. Is this a private matter?"

"Yeah, it is…more or less."

"…Alright, go."

Lan walked back down the hallway to where Maylu was sitting. "Hey…"

She looked up. "Guess you came to say goodbye, huh?"

"Well, yeah...but something else as well. It's about you...and Chaud."

Maylu snorted. "Oh, that. You mean this whole thing that was doomed from the start, right? I don't expect you to console me, Lan...in fact, you should be happy...I mean...you couldn't want us to be happy, could you?"

An uncomfortable silence followed between the two, and it was then that Lan knew he had to say something, anything that expressed what he felt. He took a deep breath and began.

"Maylu...listen to me. Look, I know this looks bad right now, but...but you need each other right now. I know that he doesn't want to do this, but he has to. He never had a say in the matter, or this wouldn't be happening at all. And what I want to tell you is...is that I love you, and I want you to be happy, even if you're not with me. And I know you feel the same way about me...so you two have to work it out, no matter what, because you can't lose what you have right now. He needs you to stick by him through thick and thin, sunshine and rain...everything and anything. And maybe you can't see it right now...but you need him just as much. Chaud...would never want anything bad to happen to you, and neither would I.

...You don't have to say anything...just wanted you to know that...I really care about you, and that I want you to be happy...and that we both have to move on, no matter how much it hurts. Goodbye, Maylu...and good luck."

Lan walked back down the hallway to Chaud and the officers. He felt his spirits warming as he left the hospital, and had the feeling that, somehow, everything was going to be alright.

Little did he know that luck would soon turn his way...

* * *

"What doesn't kill me…makes me stronger…"

Ciel repeated the mantra for what seemed like the millionth time.

Anything to get through the days, she figured, and Lan's words seemed to be the best ones to go by.

Ciel guessed that it had to be working, she hadn't gone crazy yet…she had been shocked, though, to see Haruka Hikari dragged in through the front door, unconscious. Yuuchirou was practically in hysterics when he saw her – he thought that they must've gotten Lan for sure, now.

"This is it, Ciel...it's...over. There's nothing we can do from in here..."

Ciel, however, refused to give up on the situation, so she gathered up all of her courage and spoke.

"Listen to me, Mister Hikari...this situation seems hopeless now, but we can't give up, not now, not ever...

"Not just for our sakes, but for the sakes of everyone we know and love out there. If we give up, what reason is there to for anyone to fight for us? We need to be as strong as we can be...because we are stronger than we think we are, even when we think we're really weak...your son taught me that, Mister Hikari."

Yuuchirou raised his head. The last sentence caught his attention a little bit…

"And...I really think that he would want us to keep fighting, no matter what..."

He nodded in response. Ciel noted that he was becoming less and less active in the last few days, and was becoming increasingly distant...

_Distant...distant...that word keeps ringing in my head...why..._

"Oh! I...I've got it!" And that was when Ciel's plan started to come together. It was extremely risky – along the lines of succeed, or die trying – and she didn't know if it would work either...in fact, as she thought about it more and more, she got a bit more scared...

And this, now, was the third day since then. The plan had seemed to have a good chance of succeeding, but as the days progressed, Ciel wasn't sure if it even was fifty-fifty anymore. She didn't want anyone to die...especially not these people...

So...Ciel decided to make the hardest choice she ever had to...

She got up from her computer and walked over to where Weil was standing. He had his back to her, but he acknowledged her presence.

"Ah, Miss Amé...what can I do for you at the moment?" They hadn't spoken since Haruka was brought in, but he made it seem like they had been on talking terms for a while.

"I...want to make a proposal."

He said nothing for a moment, letting the sentence hang in the air.

"Well...what do you have in mind, Miss Amé?" He still had not turned around.

Ciel took a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to say what she was going to say...

"If you...if you let Mister and Miss Hikari go, I'll...finish your project...any way that...that _you _want it...I promise..."

Ciel's last words hung in the air like smoke, slowly circling around her and making it harder and harder to breathe...

Weil finally turned around and faced Ciel. His look was stern. "I trust that you will keep your promise, Miss Amé...because you know the consequences, don't you? I'm sure your father did...but he chose to break the rules anyways, didn't he?"

Ciel froze up. _Why...does that sound so familiar? _Then she remembered...that night...

"_Please...please don't shoot me! I'll do anything you want! I promise! Anything! Just don't do this, please!"_

"My...father...? _No...No, it couldn't be..._

Weil continued on. "I told him..."

"_You broke the rules, Darien. And now..."_

"...you have to pay." Shots rang out.

All of a sudden, it came back. That day, down to the second was being played out in front of her...and as she looked at Weil that moment...she could barely see his face except for...his beard...

Ciel felt herself struggling to breathe, her body shivering, even though it was warm...because it was all happening again...

"...You...killed...them...mama...papa...killed them...killed them..."

Weil smirked. "So, you figured it out. I admit, I didn't count on you having such a good memory...and so many nervous breakdowns either...but, that's life, isn't it?"

Ciel was so scared that she was shivering, but so angry that she had the will to speak. "You...you bastard...you killed them...because you were jealous, right? My...mother didn't want a jerk like you...so she chose a lesser jerk...you...you didn't get to be top dog at work...s-so you killed my father and stole his work. Isn't that w-what you did, you...you heartless son-of-a-bitch? Huh?"

Weil chuckled instead of responding.

"Stop your damn laughing and answer me! Say it! Say you did it, because you know you did! _Say it!_"

Weil was still laughing.

"You...why did you..." Ciel felt helpless again, her mind in a mess and powerless to work properly, her eyes tearing up and her lips quivering.

_I...I can't...do anything...I'm so useless..._

By this time, Weil had stopped laughing and simply had a smile on his face.

"Well...you made a promise, Miss Amé..."

"My life...there's nothing to live for...I...need..."

"...A purpose, Miss Amé? Well...if you want...I can give you one..."

She looked at him, tears running down her face, her eyes cold and lifeless, as if her soul had ceased to exist...

She wiped the tears from her face. "What is it?"

"The ultimate weapon...help me create it...and you will be its wielder. That can be your purpose...if you so choose."

"I...don't care about consequences...I don't want to feel helpless anymore..."

"Trust me, follow my direction...and you will never feel powerless again." Weil extended his hand.

Ciel hesitated for a second. Some place in her heart was tugging at her, trying to pull her back...but she ignored it and took Weil's hand, sealing the agreement.

"Guards, return the good doctor and his wife to their home...alive, please, and thank you. Also, leave a small note for them when they come to. You'll know what to write."

The armed men saluted and marched off.

"As for you, Ciel...let's get down to business, shall we?"

Ciel nodded. "Yes, let's..."


	8. Return

Alright, I'm finally updating this thing. Enjoy, guys.

"Chaud, you have a call."

Chaud stopped, and everyone else in the group followed suit. He un-holstered his terminal and turned on his screen.

"Who's it from, Protoman?"

"The commissioner. Says it's urgent - and now you have Maylu on the other line, as well."

"Let me talk to her first."

"Alright." Protoman made the necessary connections, and Maylu's voice came through loud and clear - though it seemed quite panicked as well.

"Enzan! You have to stop this, you're making a huge mistake!"

Chaud sighed. "Meiru-chan, we've been over th-"

"No, no! You don't understand! She's alive! Ciel's alive!"

"What?"

"Ciel's alive? Where is she?" Lan rushed over to Chaud. "Maylu, how do you know this?"

"Well...just walk out the front doors, and you'll see. That's all I can tell you..." Maylu ended the connection.

A few minutes ago, Lan felt like he was wearing lead weights, now he was just about ready to bounce off of the walls. He didn't know how it had happened, but this...was a miracle.

"Well, come on! What're we waiting for? Let's g-"

"Wait, Hikari. One more call I need to answer. Protoman, the commissioner, please."

"It's a visual feed, sir."

Chaud smoothed out his hair. "Go ahead." The face of a young woman appeared on the terminal screen.

"Good morning, ma'am. Heard there was something important you had to tell me."

She nodded. "There's been a few developments in the case. Is Lan Hikari still with you?"

"Yes, ma'am. We haven't left the hospital yet."

"Well...you're to let him go. We're dropping the charges against him."

"Because Ciel's alive."

She raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Suddenly, the policemen in the area all locked and loaded their weapons simultaneously, and were turned and aimed down the hallway.

Footsteps were coming. Lan had an odd feeling inside of him, a feeling that something was going to happen...

The steps got louder and louder each second. Everyone could see a person coming towards them in a white lab coat, but they couldn't make out who it was.

Lan, however, felt he knew who it was. He walked towards the stranger cautiously. The policemen now behind him trailed slowly, weapons drawn.

The stranger walked a few more steps, then stopped, as if they were waiting for something. Lan stopped a few feet away, and the officers fanned out behind him.

Everyone stood still for a few moments, the corridor disturbingly quiet.

"She's right here, ma'am." Chaud broke the silence.

The commissioner closed her eyes for a moment. "Do...what you can, Chaud. That's all for now."

He nodded. "I will, ma'am." The connection closed. Chaud walked to where Lan was and stood beside him.

"So...you're Ciel," he said looking at the person in front of him. "There's been quite the commotion about you, as you're probably quite aware of."

Lan noticed that Ciel looked quite different from before. Her eyes seemed to be a darker shade of blue, her hair looked frazzled and dull, and the feeling of innocence radiating from her before had completely disappeared...

...Now, it seemed like she was out to destroy anything that stood in her way...

"Lan...I'm so glad that you're alive..." Her voice was soft, and seemed like it was strained a little bit. Her clothes were different than before, now she was wearing a white blouse, black pants, and black shoes.

"I could say the same for you, Ciel." Lan took a step forward.

"Don't...please, don't come any closer, Lan." She moved backwards, and tossed a laptop onto the floor. Lan noticed that she had a PET in her hand...

"Ciel...what's the matter?" Lan took another step forward.

"I told you not to come any closer!"

"Ciel, tell me what's wrong!"

"If you take one more step, I swear to God, I'll destroy everything in this place."

"Ciel, you wouldn't-" Chaud held Lan back for a moment. "She's ready and willing, Hikari. She'll do it if you push her enough."

"Do what?" Lan was visibly confused, and felt out of the loop. "What're you talking about, Chaud?"

"...It's the Internet equivalent of the Manhattan Project. Something with the ability to cause mass destruction on an unheard of scale...an unstoppable net navigator..."

"Aw, come on, Chaud. You don't honestly believe that-"

"This thing has the potential to rip even Bass to shreds in the time it takes you to think about breathing, Hikari. This is no joke, this isn't another crazy scientist, or another net-mafia group, this is the equivalent of a thousand hydrogen bombs, the end of all existence as we know it. This...this is the most dangerous thing to ever end up on the face of this planet, and to make matters worse..."

He pulled out his PET.

"We have no clue what this girl is capable of..."

Ciel, who had been silently listening with her eyes closed, slowly opened them and spoke.

"That...is a very good way to put it, Eugene Chaud. It seems that you've done your homework."

Chaud smirked. "Yeah, and I admit that it was quite an experience...though it didn't take too long to figure out what was going on, once I put all of the pieces together. Heh...the world's most powerful net navigator...let's see if I can't disprove that theory right here and now..."

Chaud tossed his terminal cable straight at the laptop. "Let's go, then! Plug in! Protoman, Transmission!"

Ciel responded by doing the same thing. "Alright...if this is the way you want it...Plug in! Zero, Transmission!"

_Zero...the Zero Project...huh, it's all coming together..._

Protoman appeared on the laptop's network in a burst of red light. His standard dark visor covered his eyes, as always, and he already prepared for battle, his right arm transformed into his default weapon, a sword.

His opponent appeared directly in front of him in a burst of crimson light. He was eerily similar to Protoman, Chaud noted, and looked amazingly humanoid, almost like a cyborg of some sorts. He had long blonde hair, and it was styled similarly to Protoman's, though it was loose instead of tied up. His helmet had small "fins" on either side, and a triangle-shaped jewel on the front. His armor was red, and he held something similar to a light-saber in his left hand, with something else on his right arm...though no one could tell what that was at the moment.

"This," Ciel announced, "is Zero..."

Chaud smirked. "That's it, huh? Well, guess it's going down like this, then! Take him out, Protoman!"

Protoman charged at his opponent with blinding speed.

Ciel closed her eyes. _It's about time...we had a little demonstration..._

* * *

While all of this was happening, Maylu rushed over to her house to grab her PET. Something told her that she would definitely be needing Roll in a while. However, as she neared her house, she noticed something strange...

"What the..."

The front door of the Hikari household was wide open. She almost didn't bother to check into it any further...but something slowly pushed her to investigate.

She shook her head. "Gotta get Roll first, then...I'll see what's going on."

Maylu ran the rest of the way home, and upstairs to her bedroom where she grabbed her terminal and rushed back out. As she reached the front door, many thoughts were flying through her head.

_Oh, man...they probably don't know what's happening with Lan right now...guess it's up to me to tell them, then._

She took a deep breath, and was about to walk in, when suddenly, Haruka Hikari popped out from behind the front door.

"Oh! Maylu, how nice to see you. Have you seen Lan lately? Is he okay?"

"Well...I...um..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must be asking too many questions at once. Please, come in..."

Maylu hesitated for a moment. The couple looked as if they had been lost in the wilderness, or something. They looked exhausted, battered, and bruised, but she could say one thing, that they were doing a real good job of not showing it too much.

"Come on, Maylu. What're we waiting for?"

Maylu had nearly forgotten about her navi in her confusion the last few days. It had been a while since she had even talked to Roll in all of the chaos and running up and down all over the place.

"Yeah, sorry for spacing out, Roll. Doctor Hikari...I've something to tell you. It's a message from..."

Yuuchirou Hikari looked puzzled. "From who?"

Maylu took another deep breath. "...Ciel."

He repeated the name in near awe. "Ciel..."

"She says that she's awakened the God of Destruction or something...do you have any idea what she means by that?"

The doctor gulped. "Yes...I know exactly what she means..." He ran upstairs to Lan's bedroom and grabbed his PET. He then got his jacket and started out the front door.

"Honey...I'm coming with you." Haruka got her jacket on as well.

"Alright, but we have to hurry...there's no telling what's going to happen in the next little while."

Of course, nobody could even possibly know what was going to happen next...


	9. A Cry For Help, A Shocking Revelation

Maylu, Haruka, and Yuuchirou piled into a car and got on their way to the hospital as quickly as they could, the good doctor now driving like a madman. His son - and possibly the whole world - was in trouble, and there was no time to lose.

"Damn! I should have seen this all coming...now everyone's in danger!" he yelled.

"It's not your fault...not even the government could find anything on his background to suggest this...you just got caught up in all of this, like we all did." Maylu spoke softly, as the full realization of the situation had come down on her earlier. This was way beyond serious now...

"So what do we do now?" Haruka asked.

"I dunno, stay calm?"

"Hey, who said that? Is there someone else in the car?" Yuuchirou asked.

"Don't worry, Dad. It's me. I was just taking a power nap...hey, this thing is moving pretty fast, what's the rush?"

"We're on the way to the hospital, Megaman. Lan and Chaud are in trouble, and we've gotta help them," Maylu said, "or else...there's gonna be a whole lot of problems. Bigger ones than anyone could imagine..."

"Do you think you can help Lan out, dear? I hate worrying so much about him," Haruka said.

"Don't worry, Mom. Everything's gonna be fine once we get there."

The car screamed down the freeway, getting ever closer to its destination.

* * *

"Damn him! He's too fast!" Chaud yelled.

Protoman and Zero were locked in a duel, with the two navigators moving at lightning speed, becoming crimson blurs.

Lan looked around slowly, first at the guards with their guns drawn...then at Chaud, who was sweating as he tried to find a way to take out his opponent...and then, finally, at her, the girl at the center of all the commotion.

Ciel stood in the middle of the hallway, guns pointed at her, locked in a battle with one of the world's best net battlers...yet she was extremely calm and relaxed, meditating with her eyes closed, as if nothing was happening.

Zero was simply dodging every attack that Chaud and Protoman threw at him, with what seemed like minimal effort.

"What the hell? He's...not even scratched yet...!"

Ciel smiled. "His speed...is unlike anything you've ever seen before...and this is only at thirty percent power."

Chaud's blood ran cold. "Th-th-thirty...percent!"

She shrugged. "More or less, I suppose. Could be twenty-five."

Lan spoke up. "So you knew that we couldn't win, then, Ciel."

"Correct," she responded.

"Then...explain to us your purpose here..."

A mischievous sparkle appeared in her eyes. "I just...wanted to see you, Lan. I wanted to see how you were doing, is that okay?"

Lan smiled back. "Yeah, I guess that's okay. Listen...since we're not strong enough yet-"

"Don't worry, I'll give you time to upgrade your navigator...Megaman, was it? I think he's on his way now..."

Lan looked at her strangely. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"A car...is on its way to the hospital as we speak...your friend Maylu is probably in it, as well as your parents...they must be feeling jumpy after that incident. I'm sorry it had to be this way, Lan. I really wanted us to be close..."

"You mean...my mom's okay?" A feeling of relief came over Lan.

She nodded. "And your father, too. They were all in danger, so I volunteered my services in exchange for their freedom. The doctor is a...very forceful man. He doesn't like to lose, you know. Anyways, I believe that a family should be together, no matter what happens. And I'm sure that they'll be very happy to see you again, Lan."

"So...you gave up your freedom...for my parents..."

"Actually, I did it for you, Lan, because...I...I really..." Ciel struggled to speak.

_If I tell him now, once everything's finished, it'll hurt too much...I can't do it. I have to...move on._

"Ciel?"

She snapped back to reality. "It's nothing, forget it. I'll...see you later, Lan." Ciel turned around and started to walk off.

"Stop and put your hands up!" one of the policemen yelled. "Don't move!"

She turned around and looked at the group. "Chaud...are you really going to try to stop me right now? Do you think that's a wise decision?"

Chaud, trying to contain the rage inside of him, spoke through gritted teeth. "Let...her go. We can't touch her right now..."

The policemen all lowered their weapons with that command.

"Thank you. Lan...I'll be waiting for you soon, remember that."

Then, for just a second, they both felt it again, that pull towards each other that they felt the first time they met. And in that moment, Lan looked at Ciel's eyes, and could read the look that was screaming out to him...

_Lan, help me..._

She never said it, never hinted at it with the rest of her face, or her voice, or her body...just her eyes, that was all. Her voice, with that one message, was playing in his head over and over again as she turned and finally walked away.

"Looks like...this is it." Chaud broke the silence as Ciel left. "We beat this Weil guy, or die trying. There's no room for error this time...no room to rely on luck..."

"Don't be stupid, Chaud. Even the best...rely on a little bit of luck. And besides, we don't have to go after Weil directly. If we can get Ciel back, then-"

"Don't be naive, Hikari. She doesn't want to be rescued, and doesn't need to be rescued. No matter what she did for you and your family, she's still a criminal, and we're going to punish her."

"I think that you're the one being naive, Chaud. She needs our help."

"Really? Then why didn't she say that when she was here?"

"She did, but just to me. She wants out of this badly, but she's stuck. She's probably the only one who can stop Zero, but she can't do it without Weil finding out and doing something even worse...we've gotta take down Weil's network and operations first, then she can really help us out. And besides..."

Lan clenched his fists.

"...I'm not going to let her get hurt again. She's been through too much already, I won't leave her alone again..."

Chaud smirked. "Alright, Prince Charming. We'll try not to hurt her. But in the meantime, until you figure out a plan to do what you need to do...just stay out of my way while I take down the boss."

"Lan! Enzan-kun!"

Lan looked down the hallway. "Eh? Maylu, you're here. And Mom and Dad, too."

Haruka ran up to her son and gave him a tight hug.

"Oh, Lan! We were so worried about you...I'm glad you're okay!"

"Chaud, what happened?" Yuuchriou asked.

"She's gone. But she left her terminal behind, for some reason."

"What? Why would she do that? Isn't Zero..."

"Yeah, he's there...and in one piece. We couldn't land a single hit on him, and he was at thirty percent power..."

"Thirty percent? Incredible! Well, I guess I should take a look at this...the old SciLab computers are still online, right?"

"Yeah, they are."

"Well, I'll isolate him from the rest of the network, then...see exactly what makes him tick. Lan, I've gotta run for now. Good to see you're okay."

Lan nodded. "Alright, Dad. See you later."

_Man, we have a lot of work to do. I hope we get it all done in time..._

"Yo, Lan!"

"Hey, Megaman. What's up?"

"We've got trouble, it seems. There's a really big energy spike...near the city centre, where Dad's going."

"Well, what's that got to do with us?"

"The spike was caused by three net navis, who noone's been able get a good look at...and they're dragging all of the security from the servers..."

"...A decoy plan? And they're actually falling for it?" Chaud said.

"Yeah, and they don't know what they're getting into right now. Neither does your father, Lan." Maylu said.

"Well, what're we waiting for, then? Let's go!"


	10. Quicksand

It was quite something, she thought. That word, "hope"...it was a stupid, useless word.

Hope...was a word that she had now sworn off of using completely, but somehow, she felt it again, that sensation that made one forget all of their troubles and look towards a brighter future. It was surprising to say the least, that the other side of her refused to let go, refused to give up, even with what was happening all around her.

Too bad...it would all be over soon.

But that one look he gave her was telling of the situation, that one look that said...

_Don't worry, I wont leave you..._

No words, and nothing dramatic, just that one look and nothing else. It felt so normal when all of that was happening, like a normal conversation that they would have. It just felt good to be near him...

But it could never really be like that, could it? As far as she was concerned, it would be all over soon, and everything and everyone she had ever known would disappear forever.

* * *

_That girl, Ciel. Is she still here?_

Moments earlier. It was just after Ciel had left the area where Lan was. Maylu, Haruka, and Yuuchirou were racing down the halls to where Lan and Chaud were supposed to be, getting directions from Megaman and Roll. The three, with the said net navigators, had just reached the hospital moments earlier.

Maylu spotted someone walking towards them, casually. She couldn't make out the face, but she immediately knew who it was.

"So, it's you, Ciel. Still here. What've you been up to, huh?"

Ciel replied in a casual tone. "Nothing too eventful, I suppose. I just went to see how Lan was doing. Is that...okay with you?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Maylu's voice suddenly had an edge to it.

Ciel smiled. "I didn't mean anything by it, but...it's good that you care about him so much, even though you're just..."

"Friends? Yeah, I know. We used to be...more than that, but it didn't work out, I guess." Maylu felt a bit calmer now.

"The reason I asked that is because...you seem to care for him a lot, and I always seem to find trouble wherever I go. I know you don't want to see him hurt, and neither do I, if I can help it."

Maylu's thoughts drifted back to that day in the hospital. "Yeah...I know." she said. _Maybe this girl and I...have a lot more in common than I thought,_ she said to herself.

"I guess it's just that...that..." Ciel blushed as she spoke. "I really do like him, a lot. Ever since the first time we met, I felt something. It's crazy, the way I feel about him, but I can't help it. Even as I'm doing this, I'm thinking of him. I felt so helpless when I thought that he was gone. But I guess that I should've had more faith, huh?"

"I...probably would've done the same thing, if I were in your shoes," Maylu replied.

"Would you? Would you...do what I'm doing right now, if it meant that Lan's parents would live?"

Haruka gasped. "You...you didn't.."

"Yeah, I had to. Or else...you would both be dead right now. I had no choice. There was no reason to let you die, if I had a say in it. My life is insignificant."

"Don't say that about yourself, Ciel! You're not a tool, you're a human being!"

"No, that's exactly what I am. I don't have any other purpose in my life."

"Ciel, stop lying to yourself-"

Ciel suddenly exploded in anger."Shut up! You need to stop lying to _me_! You're a liar, Maylu! You've been lying to yourself all of this time! Who the hell are _you_ to tell me to stop lying?"

"Wh-What?" Maylu reeled back in surprise; she had never seen Ciel this angry and bitter before...

"You heard me! Everything you think that you feel towards your so-called new "boyfriend" is made up. All this time...and you're still in love with Lan, even though you were the one that left him. But you can't bring yourself to tell him that, because you're scared."

"No, that isn't true!"

"Yeah...you're scared, like I used to be. You're scared of the pain, aren't you?"

Maylu struggled to speak. "I...I..."

"All of that helplessness...all of that despair...it hurts, doesn't it? I can already feel myself sinking into the darkness..."

_What's...happening...to...me...why do I feel so bad all of a sudden?_

She smiled. "The pure side of me...wants Lan to help me, to save me from all of this hurt and despair. But the dark side of me, this side of me...wants nothing more than to watch him die, slowly and painfully...I hate it, having two sides of me. Being pure and loving has only brought me pain and sadness all of my life. It's a waste of time to give the good part of yourself to a world...that's full of evil. Maybe he can save you, or me, or even both of us, somehow. But I doubt it. Even you, right now..."

She looked into Maylu's eyes. "I can see you falling, now that you realize the truth. Don't stop yourself. Let it take over you, all of the hatred and anger...once it does, it'll feel so good, and then you won't need anyone or anything to help you anymore..."

"Maylu, snap out of it! Don't listen to her! Please, don't let your emotions take over you!" Roll said.

"But...I...want to..."

"Maylu..." _What's happening to her?_

"Ciel, she doesn't need this, none of us do! Don't do it to her, please!" Haruka begged.

"Oh, I'm not doing anything to her, Miss Haruka. She's falling into the darkness that she created herself...I wonder if anyone can catch her in time?" she said in an innocent tone.

"Ah...ah...it feels...so cold..." Maylu had completely fallen into a trance.

Ciel smiled. "Yes, it does, doesn't it? Mm...you're falling even faster than I am...the good side of you should be completely gone soon enough. The light inside of me refuses to go out silently, but it will be extinguished soon enough. And once that happens...well. You'll find out soon enough."

Haruka desperately called out, one last time. "**_Maylu! You can't leave us now, we all need you!_**"

Maylu snapped out of her trance. "Huh? What...what happened?"

Haruka sighed deeply with relief. She was back to her old self.

"Hey, what's going on?" _Man...I felt like I was trapped in a room with no light...what was that all about?_

"Ciel was playing head games with you, Maylu. She had you in some kind of trance."

"Oh, was she? Bitch! I'll teach you to play games with me!" She cracked her knuckles and stepped towards Ciel.

"Maylu, don't! I know you're upset, but this won't solve anything."

She snarled at Ciel and backed off. "Yeah, you're right, Roll. But if I ever see her come near Lan again...I'll make sure to beat that two-timing witch's face in!"

Ciel laughed. "Maybe I should be the one saying that to you. You're the one who's going to torment him more than you know..."

She walked past the group towards the exit. "I'll see you all later, then. Take care of Lan for me, Maylu..." She laughed as she walked out.

Maylu gritted her teeth and growled in frustration. "That...bitch! Oh, wait till I get my hands on her..."

"Don't worry about it, Maylu," Roll said. "We'll get rid of her soon enough!"

"Yeah, I gue-aaaah!"

"Maylu? What happened?"

"Nothing, Roll, just a little headache...I'll be fine. I've had enough of standing here, let's go and see Lan!"

And so, the three headed off to check on Lan and Chaud, unaware of the true meaning of what had just happened...

* * *

Notes:

KageKotetsu, I don't think that I answered your question way back in Chapter 1...hope you found it already.

Fender, thanks for the praise. Next chapter's being written as we speak.

Anyways, to all who are reading, after the next chapter comes what I'd like to call Part 2 of the story - less talky, more fighty, so to speak. I just have to work out the battle sequences...wish me luck, guys.


	11. Crossing Over

Present time.

Everyone had arrived in the corridor where Ciel had just been. Lan, Maylu, and Haruka stood in various parts of the hallway, thinking about the events that each of them had gone through.

Chaud was in a meeting with the police, who proceeded to make their way out soon afterwards. He sighed and cracked his neck, looking worn out and very annoyed.

"This is getting crazy, too crazy for my tastes. I couldn't touch him at thirty percent power. How the hell did that navi get so strong?" Chaud lamented over his recent showing against Ciel's navigator, Zero.

What puzzled him most, though, was her comment towards Lan…

_"Don't worry, I'll give you time to upgrade your navigator...Megaman, was it? I think he's on his way now..."_

"Hikari!"

Lan turned towards Chaud, snapped out of his train of thought. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Do you have any idea why she would want to challenge you?"

He thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, not a clue. And she said something about an upgrade, but I can't think of one that could bring Megaman's power up that far in such a short amount of time."

"Yeah, I guess." Chaud brushed his hand through his hair.

Suddenly, Lan had an epiphany. "But maybe she does."

"What do you mean, Lan?" Maylu asked, interested.

"I mean that she knows about the program that Megaman and I need to stand up to Zero. It's like…she wants us to be a real challenge, and not just for her sake either…"

"Like some kind of treasure hunt, or something," Megaman said.

"Yeah, something kind of like that. And I think that it'll have something to do with the navi we're going to face off against later."

"How do you figure, Hikari? Nothing's been sent at us yet."

"With 'yet' being the key word. I think that there's some kind of clearance that they'd need. Some kind of security clearance, like at the…oh, man."

"What, Lan?"

"Dad had to go back to his old lab near the Waterworks, right? And he'd have to analyze Zero in one of his computers, then. Now, you could just cut off the internet connections, right? But there's another thing I just remembered."

"Like what? We've covered all of the bases, and I'm sure your father has, too, so I don't see what the problem is here. All we have to do is wait for the call, and we'll be able to see what makes that Zero tick. As far as I'm concerned, we're halfway home." Chaud said confidently.

"No…look, I noticed something like a laser pointer on the top of Ciel's PET. And she left her PET at the scene here, because she knew that someone would pick it up if they saw it. And if anyone here remembers what a laser pointer does…"

"It shines a light beam at the target and that light beam is made up of infrared light." Chaud said. "I still don't see your point, Hikari…"

"Oh my God…the Waterworks security system…most of it uses infrared signals, Chaud!"

"What?"

"He's going to use the infrared ports to escape, isn't he, Lan?" Haruka said.

"Nope. Just to release the security locks. That's not the purpose of the whole thing."

"Then what is the purpose of the whole thing?" Chaud asked, annoyed.

"Simple. To let someone else in."

* * *

"I should have guessed. I should have guessed…"

Doctor Yuuchirou Hikari was facing a bit of a dilemma at the moment. Zero had just escaped, and he couldn't seem to figure out how it had happened. Then he had found out that the navi had simply disabled the security for the Waterworks system, and was just idling after that.

That was half an hour ago.

Notably, Zero was still there when the doctor got a call from none other than…

"Dad, you still at the Government Complex?"

"Yeah, I am. What's up, Lan?" He breathed a sigh of relief. It was just his son.

"Zero's out, isn't he?"

The question startled Yuuchirou for a moment, but then he answered it.

"Yeah, he's out, but he's been idling on the Waterworks network for about…coming up on thirty-five minutes, now."

"…So I was right."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Listen, Dad…has anyone arrived with backup at all yet?"

"Well, if you could call it that. All access to outside networks has been sealed off, and there are a couple of squads of Official Netbattlers on the insides and outsides of the areas."

Lan thought for a moment.

_He's not moving, even though he could cut through everyone there in an instant. We know that he's waiting for someone, but…wait!_

"Dad, listen! Is there anything in that network we should know about?"

"Other than a program for changing the water state…"

"Water state?"

"Yeah, solid to liquid, liquid to gas, gas to solid…things like that. It's at the heart of the system, where the conditions are unstable…"

"Which means Zero would need some help in there."

Chaud then realized something else…

"There's a double-cross in there. I just figured it out. A navi that doesn't need an operator to function at full capacity, one of those would get the job done - ah, speak of the devil." Chaud's PET went off as he was speaking.

"Emergency call, Chaud."

"Put it through on voice, Protoman. Chaud here."

"Hey, listen, we need some backup here! We're getting slaughtered by a female navi, one that-"

"Uses water as an element, right?" Lan chimed in.

"Yeah...how did you-"

"Dad, do you know where-"

"Way ahead of you, Lan. Froid is down there with Iceman, and they're gonna hold the fort for you guys."

"That's good. Alright, so we head down to the Waterworks first, then, right?" Maylu asked.

"Actually, we'll let Chaud go down to the Waterworks to help out. Maylu, you and Roll are gonna come with me, since we need to figure out which targets are next...and we'd better hope that Zero doesn't beat us to the punch, either."

"How are we gonna do that?"

"Well, do we still have Ciel's computer on hand? It should have some clue about this whole thing, if Zero's info was on that…"

"Sounds reasonable enough," Chaud said. "I'll fish it out of evidence on my way down to the Government Complex…the idiots that attacked us and kidnapped Ciel were obviously too preoccupied to remember it."

"I'll take you guys over there, Lan," Haruka said.

"Alright, sounds great. Let's go!"

_Well, looks like at least something's falling our way…_

"Nngh…" Maylu held her head.

"Hey, what's up? You okay, Maylu?"

"Yeah, fine. Don't worry about me, I'm okay."

Lan looked skeptical, but believed her nonetheless. "Okay, if you say so. But if anything…"

"I'll let you guys know, relax. I'm fine. It's not like you to worry so much, Lan."

"Yeah, well…this is a pretty dangerous situation. I'm just looking out, that's all."

And with that, the group of four got into the car, and headed towards the Complex.

* * *

It was a bit of a trip over, so everyone got to talking about the day's events. There was a small detour at ACDC Town for Lan and Maylu, but other than that, all roads led to the Waterworks.

"I'm telling you, it was freaky meeting Ciel again, especially after she was kidnapped. She looked like she'd been through hell and back, ten times over. Not only that, but she was totally different from before, in every way." Lan recanted his version of what had happened earlier. "I don't know, she seemed like a zombie at one point, but then she got her personality back. Weird." He scratched his head.

"That's funny. She was in total control from my perspective," Maylu said.

"What do you mean? You talked to her?" Lan asked.

"Yeah. It was crazy…she said something about me lying to myself about everything, how I was still in love with you; how I was going to fall into the darkness…crap like that. Whatever. She was just bitter for some reason, but just before that she was going on about how she was crazy about you and all that…"

"Really? Wow…" _Somehow, I hope…she knows that I feel the same way…_

"She must have done some mind trick on me, because I was out of it for a bit…and then I started getting these headaches all of a sudden…like now. Owwww."

She placed her hands to her head again. "And they keep getting stronger and stronger for some reason. I hope I'm not terminal, or something, ha-ha."

"Yeah, that'd be something. I wonder how many cases there are of people getting brain tumors from the evil eye…" Chaud quipped.

"I wouldn't just brush this off, Maylu. It looked pretty real to me, and I think those headaches are a sign of what's happening." Haruka wasn't sold on the idea that it was just a scare tactic that Ciel used in that hallway.

"Well, what exactly happens when these headaches come on, Maylu?" Lan asked.

_Mom…you may be onto something, here._

"Well, nothing too bad. I just get this feeling like the lights are being dimmed or something, but it goes away after a while. I mean, when the headaches come, the lights get a little dimmer…"

"What about just now-"

"Ugh! Another one…Lan, did we go under a tunnel?"

"…No, we didn't. Why are you…?"

"Well, just now everything got really dark…"

Now Lan was worried. "Maylu…what exactly did Ciel say would happen to you?"

"A bunch of stuff amounting to 'You're gonna go crazy and screw over Lan', basically. Nothing serious-"

"No, this is very serious. Something's happening to you, something bad. She's messed with your head real bad, and there's no way to fix this now."

"So, what do we do, then?" Chaud asked.

"First thing we do…take Roll away from her."

"What? No way, I won't let you do that! This is crazy!"

"Listen, you won't forgive yourself if you were to do anything that would get Roll in trouble, or worse. So just let us do this for you…"

"Lan, there's nothing wrong with me!"

"Maylu, listen-"

"No, _you_ listen! You don't own me, you never have, and never will, and I'm _not _going to along with your little plan and do everything you say, especially since there is nothing between us anymore. You think that just because you had me once, you can order me around and-"

She stopped, and put her hands over her mouth.

"Oh…my…God…" she whispered.

_This isn't good, _Lan mused.

_This isn't good at all._


	12. Windchill

The car was deadly quiet for a moment, until Lan spoke.

"Hey, Mom."

Haruka glanced at the rear-view mirror and gritted her teeth.

"Yeah, I understand."

She eased the car into the left lane, and slammed on the gas pedal. The Waterworks were in sight within a minute.

Maylu was in hysterics. "Lan, oh, God, oh God! I didn't, I didn't, I don't understand-!"

"Forget about it, you'll be okay. We won't let anything else happen to you. Chaud, do you have a trump card anywhere?"

"One or two, I was saving them for you, though."

"That'll have to wait a while longer, then. Stall as much as you can, and when you can't do anymore, plug out. Hopefully Iceman will still be there to help you out, if anything."

"Fine."

Haruka was quite literally putting the pedal to the metal at this point, speeding towards the off ramp as fast as the law would allow. She skidded to a stop outside the Government Complex front entrance. Chaud hopped out and made his way inside.

"Eugene…"

He turned at the sound of his name. Maylu was looking back at him, her eyes red from crying, and trembling with fear.

"Eugene…please, be careful. Please…"

She hadn't called him that in a long time, he noted. Her words were soft and sincere, and she spoke with the utmost urgency. He had to be careful.

He had to be careful…for her.

"I will be careful. Count on it, Maylu."

He turned around again and sprinted towards the entrance. Now, there was no looking back.

_Godspeed, Hikari._

Haruka floored it once more, and the three remaining people blazed a trail back to ACDC Town.

* * *

_This is bad. This is really, really bad._

Froid and Iceman were dodging as if their lives depended on it.

Probably because their lives _did _depend on it.

They had managed to get a lucky shot to that girl's head. Then again, it wasn't so lucky since she was wearing a helmet at the time, and it was the helmet that got busted open instead of her head. Everything had been going downhill since then.

Today, however, was not the day to lose.

"Aqua Tower! Battlechips in, double download!"

Iceman reversed direction and pounded the floor in front of him, sending twin towers of water racing towards their opponent.

"Now, Iceman!"

"Got it!"

Iceman pulled in all of the air he could muster into his frame, and then blew it out in a tremendous show of force. The blast of cold air reached just as the female navi had been hit by the twin Aqua Towers. A large column of ice reached into the sky where she had previously stood.

"Phew! That was something, Doc. I didn't think we could do it!"

"Yeah…now we have to take care of that guy over there."

Zero stood near the entrance point, unmoving. Didn't he care that his partner had just been frozen solid?

"Damn it all…Iceman! We're not finished up with our friend over there yet, it seems."

"No way! But we just-"

As if to emphasize Froid's point, the column of ice shattered into crystals while Iceman spoke. Standing there was the girl that Iceman thought he had turned to ice.

"Very nice! I've never seen those attacks used like that before. You're an interesting opponent, Iceman, was it?"

He snarled. "Yeah, what's it to you?"

She smiled back, cerulean eyes sparkling. "Come now, don't be so harsh with me. I was just being polite."

"Are you sure you can take him, Leviathan?" Zero said. "I'll finish him if you can't."

Leviathan brushed back her short blue hair, and sighed. "So impatient. And they call you the God of Destruction, eh? I would think that a "god" could wait a few more minutes. Besides," she said turning back to Iceman. "This is the first meaningful fight that I've had in a while. I don't want to spoil it."

Zero thought for a minute, and then closed his eyes. "Fine," he said, waving a dismissive hand at her. "Go ahead. Just don't overextend yourself."

"No problem!" she said with a wink. "I'll start getting a little more creative."

Stepping forward, Leviathan brushed ice off of her blue skirt, and raised one of her arms to the sky. In a flash of blue light, what looked like a large, two-pronged spear appeared in her outstretched hand, with an extremely oversized edge.

She rested the end of the spear on the ground in front of her, and it came out to be more than a head taller than she was.

"Okay, let's get just a touch more serious, then." She tapped the armour covering her upper half and pointed her spear forward. "You ready?"

Iceman gritted his teeth. "Whenever you are."

"Fine, then." She shot forward, kicking up the ice crystals that littered the battle area. In less than the time it took Froid to blink, she was already a yard in front of Iceman and swinging that spear with deadly force. Iceman sidestepped, but Leviathan slammed her spear into the ground, and used it as leverage to lift herself up and give Iceman a face full of heeled boot. He slid back, and as he tried to get his bearings was then met with a right cross that sent him flying away. He hit the ground and rolled as Froid downloaded an Aqua Sword to him.

Leviathan charged and swung downward, but Iceman used the sword to block, noting that the spear head was bladed so that she could cut as if she was using a sword. How much more dangerous could this woman get?

He was about to find out. She backed off and stood away from him for once, and all of a sudden, a glowing blue sphere formed on the tip of her spear edge. It was pulsing and getting bigger by the second.

"What's she doing now?"

Froid grimaced. "Probably a large scale energy attack or something."

Leviathan instead pulled back and slammed the edge into the floor, the sphere bursting and transforming into what looked like a giant dragon.

"Uh-oh," Iceman said. "I don't like the looks of this!"

Leviathan then wound up and swung her spear with all of her might, sending the energy dragon right towards Iceman.

"Hey, Doc!"

"Okay, one shot! Dash, Ice Punch, Aqua Tower, battlechips in, download! Program Advance: Frozen Roar!"

Iceman's right hand was covered with the gauntlet for the Ice Punch, and he used his left to shove the Aqua Tower energy into the Aqua Sword. With one burst of speed from the Dash chip, Iceman shot forward and swung down with all of his might.

"Frozen Roar!"

A wave of energy shot out towards the dragon and slammed into it, producing a huge explosion and shockwave that threw both Leviathan and Iceman backwards. They both managed to land on their feet.

Both were breathing heavily after the last attack. Leviathan smiled. "I'm…impressed. Really, I am. You weren't looking so hot before, but you've really got some good stuff, huh?"

"Same to you, Leviathan." Iceman had to admit, this was kind of enjoyable, ignoring the huge consequences if he lost.

The result of their attacks clashing left the battle area covered in jagged ice, and a gigantic pillar of ice where the two attacks had met, reaching high into the sky.

"I'm not at my limit, though…so I'll keep fighting. How about you?"

"As long as we've got that program to protect, I'll be in this fight."

Zero watched with interest.

_So he managed to repel Leviathan's attack with a Program Advance, eh?_

However, his train of thought was interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"You look bored, Zero."

He turned to the voice. Protoman. He was the one that he took on at the hospital. Surprising that he would come back for more so soon.

"As a matter of fact, I might be in need of some entertainment," Zero said, drawing his Zero Saber from a side holster. The blade was up entirely of glowing green energy. It looked dangerous enough.

"Very well, then. But I'll warn you from here on…"

Protoman suddenly appeared behind Zero, who had staggered backwards from a sword slash to the chest.

"This won't be like the last time."

Zero chuckled as he disappeared and reappeared in front of Protoman, their swords crossed. A wicked grin had now spread on his face.

"Let's go."


	13. The Options On The Table

Chaud and Protoman were having a hard time dealing with Zero, despite the information Doctor Hikari had given to them.

His body was deteriorating, but it didn't help that he was still this strong. Chaud took a few moments to make a calculated decision.

"Protoman, we're falling back."

"I don't know if we should, Chaud. He's still strong enough to wreak havoc," Protoman said as he stared down Zero, who currently looked like a mess.

"It can't be helped. Besides…we haven't been thinking too clearly. I mean, Ciel isn't the type of woman to leave us in a favourable situation with Zero, is she?"

Prototman flicked off the remnants of his glasses. "I see what you're saying. It looks like it really can't be helped."

"Yeah…and when I promised my woman that I'd come back safely, that included you by extension, Protoman. Can't have you getting deleted if I can help it."

Protoman smiled. "Understood, sir." He looked over at Zero. "I hope your original body can take a few more hits next time." He jacked out soon after.

The PET started ringing soon after. Chaud answered, and smirked at the person he saw.

"Figures. You're the only one who would get through to me at this time."

"Must you always mock me when I call you? Honestly, the nerve…"

"What is it that you need, your Highness?" he said mockingly.

"Don't patronize me, Eugene Chaud. You know how I get…"

"Obviously. It's the reason I do it. Besides, it's not as fun to mess with other people. What do you need?"

"I need you to come to Kotobuki, to that apartment complex where Lan fought Gospel."

"That place is open, now?"

"Yup. Just snatched it off the market last week. It was murder just to get a bid in, though. I must have drunk a couple gallons of strawberry milk, it was that stressful. Anyways, the radiation is down to negligible levels, but I have suits if you're apprehensive about it."

"Nah, I should be fine. What would you need that place for, though?"

"A new base of operations, outside of Weil's influence…or at least, his current influence. I've called Lan's father about it, and he thinks it's a great idea. A small group, sort of like a special ops force…"

Chaud blinked. "Covert ops?"

"Yes and no. Yes in that some of us will be operating discreetly, no in that you netbattlers will still be taking on this organization head on, like you always have. We just need to buy time for information gathering. If we could get enough stuff on this guy Weil and his work…"

"Ah, I understand. Sounds good, I'll come down right away."

"Excellent. By the way…how has Maylu been doing lately?"

"Well…I'd say fine, but you should ask her yourself, probably."

"Hmph! I'll trust your word for now. But remember, I'm not as nice as Lan is. If you hurt her, I'll definitely kill you, Eugene Chaud."

"I would expect nothing less from you, Yai. See you soon."

"Okay!" She gave him a thumbs-up as the call ended. Chaud placed a call to Froid.

"Hello?"

"Froid, how are you and Iceman doing?"

"Ah, just fine. That girl ran off just after you and Zero logged out."

"They didn't get the program?"

"Nope, it's safe in a pillar of ice. Safe as it could be, anyways. It was an accident, but a good one for us."

Well, that was something to cheer about. "Good to hear. Did you get the call from Doctor Hikari?"

"Yeah, I did. Looks like I'll be heading over to Kotobuki, eh?"

"Yeah, looks like it. Need a lift?"

"Yeah, a lift would be nice…but I'll need a lot more than that later on. I'm getting too old for this stuff."

"Funny…I always think I'm never getting old enough for it."

Chaud then remembered he had left the laptop inside…that data would have some use. Never mind that it was encrypted by someone who was off their rocker…but smart as heck nonetheless.

"Whatever…"

It was sort of a shame that he was that much smarter.

* * *

Home at last.

Lan, Maylu and Haruka had made it safely back to ACDC Town. They were no longer in the rush they had been before, though.

Earlier while they were still on the highway, Lan had gotten a call from his father.

"Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Well, I've got some new information for you guys, so listen up."

"All ears over here. Go ahead, Dad."

"Okay, the first thing is about Zero. Right now, the Zero that you see is limited in power. The data I got from the battle in the hospital shows that the laptop system was specifically designed to restrict the power output of any navigator that was present, and that this system was designed specifically for Zero's sake. He's in a shell that was designed for storage, light battle, and movement capabilities – basically a substitute body."

"Ah, so that means…"

"Yeah…he can only take a limited amount of damage…from both his own systems as well as outside sources. He can't power up too far or else his body will lose its stability and start to fall apart as he fights. In other words, once he goes up to 100 percent power, his level will start to fall from 100 percent after a short period of time. He can't sustain a high level of energy generation without destroying himself."

"But if he does that, won't his core data start to collapse on itself, seeing as he's really powerful?"

"Yes, it will. Much like a super-giant star in space, it will cause an explosion at that point, since this shell cannot contain such a high degree of energy once it reaches critical damage, which it surely will have at that moment in time."

"So if Protoman deletes him right now, he could end up totally destroying the Waterworks, and possibly wrecking the Net?"

"Precisely."

"Hm. That's pretty bothersome…so we have to wait for the true Zero to appear before we can delete him safely. Not that something like that would be any safer…"

"Well, it's all we have to work with right now. Anyways, I'll be out of contact with everyone for the next while. I'm putting a team together to gather intelligence on Weil, and we need secure routes. I'm leaving two upgrades with you and Megaman that might help in the fight against Zero. There's a third that I don't have much data on, but I'll work on that for you. There are text files attached with these upgrades…you've got them?"

"Yup, got 'em."

"Good. Tell your mother I miss you both, and that I'll be home soon. You too, Megaman."

"Aye, Pop. I'll take good care of this troublemaker here," Megaman said jokingly.

"Good luck, Lan. Fight hard, stay safe, and take care of your mother!"

"Count on me, Dad."

Doctor Hikari nodded before closing the connection.

"Think we should turn around and help Chaud?"

"Nah, Mom. Remember that Dad has a way of doing things, and that he'd be one to send the information to Chaud as early as possible. He's jacked out already by now, and is probably on his way somewhere else. As for this one," he said, looking over at the sleeping Maylu, "I'll take her home for now."

"Fair enough. Make sure you're not stressing yourself out, okay? I worry about you sometimes."

"I know, Mama. It's just that I can't help it sometimes."

Haruka smiled. "You're the good kind of reckless, Lan. Much like your father used to be. I guess that's why I can stand behind you so easily."

He grinned back at her. "Nice to know."

The three eventually reached home, and currently, Lan was carrying Maylu upstairs to her room. The sleeping girl stirred and eventually woke up as Lan was piggybacking her.

"I passed out…"

"Hey, you're awake."

"Ah, Lan…we're home already…"

"Yeah, this is your place. I decided to carry you up since you were sleeping. I put away my PET at home and yours upstairs already, or else you would have been in sooner."

"Don't bother…I'm okay now. Here, I'll make us some tea…" Maylu was slowly let down, and she hurried off to her kitchen.

"Hey, don't worry too much about that. You're still drowsy and sick, remember?" Lan took a seat on the living room sofa.

"No…my head's totally clear now, Lan. The headaches are gone."

"Really? That's a relief," he said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yes…and….there's something I need to do, it's very important."

"Well, okay. I'll get out of your way, then."

"Actually, it involves you, to a certain degree, Lan…it actually has a lot to do with us…"

"I see, well, I'll help you out, then. But to be honest…I didn't think that what was happening to you could be fixed or anything. I was a little worried. Well, actually, a lot worried, to be truthful."

"I see…then, I'll show you that I'm all better…that I'm thinking clearly again…"

"Hey, no need. I believe you already, Maylu. Now, what am I helping you out with?"

"You don't need to do anything…just stay where you are, and…let me take care of you."

Lan blinked as he looked upwards. To say something like that in that kind of context…

"What exactly could you mean by that?"

She was in front of him, sitting on the living room table. He finally tilted his head forward and focused on his host.

At that moment, Lan felt a strange, surreal balance of interest and wonder.

Interest towards the form of the young woman sitting in front of him on the table.

Wonder at the fact that she wasn't wearing anything but her underwear.


	14. The Holdup

"I guess…white is my new favourite colour, huh?"

The girl sitting in front of Lan tilted her head to one side. "It could be…" she purred softly.

This kind of situation would be favourable to most guys, Lan noted.

A gorgeous young woman, sitting in front of you with practically nothing on? That would be any guy's ultimate fantasy, right? It would be like an impossible dream, wouldn't it?

"Lan, I want to…to show you how I really feel about you…"

She smiled as she moved ever closer to him.

"So I want to make you feel good…"

Maylu leaned close to him and whispered as she moved his hand into her chest.

"And maybe I'll feel good along with you. Wouldn't that be nice…?"

Now Lan was quite a bit worried. Maylu was practically on top of him – hell, she _was _on top of him, straddling his legs as she moved her body closer.

However, he simply hid his worry and smiled at her sadly. For a moment, he really wished that they were still together, but put that thought aside.

"Sorry…"

"Hm?"

He placed his arms around Maylu and hugged her tightly, trapping her arms against his chest.

"I said, 'sorry', because this might be troublesome to you for a while."

"What could you mean? We're like this, together…I wouldn't wish for anything other than for this moment to last forever."

"Well, then I'm going to keep us in this moment, and we'll have no others."

"Ah…you…"

"I'm not sure if you've become physically superior to me somehow, but…I can at least try to keep you like this, Maylu."

"Hey…don't do this, Lan. Let me go…"

"I should have figured it would come to this, with what happened to you back at the hospital. But I don't think…that she would have had it go this far on purpose, if what you said about her feelings for me were true."

Maylu tried to break Lan's hold on her, but wasn't having much luck.

"Lan…let go…let go…"

"I can't, not until you feel better. I made a promise a long time ago."

"Stop screwing around! Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

Lan gave her a defiant smirk. "Screwing around, eh? I thought that's what you were planning to do with me?"

"Ah! Let go! Lan, let go!" She started to beat on his chest.

"A little louder, hot stuff. Don't think they quite heard you outside…"

"Bastard! Stop teasing me, stop it!"

"Tch…you act like you weren't teasing me a minute ago," Lan said coldly.

"I-I wasn't teasing! I really wanted to-"

"To what? Make yourself miserable? Make me miserable?"

"No! I wanted us to be together again, like we used to be!"

"It can't be like that…"

"Don't say that! Lan, I love you! I've always loved you, and I won't stop loving you, no matter what! As long as I live, I'll feel this way, and you can't change that! You can't, you can't, you can't!"

"I already know that, Maylu, and I accept that."

"?" She looked straight into his eyes. "Then…you…?"

"But let me ask you, who are you in love with?"

She blinked before answering assuredly. "It's you, it's always been you!"

"Which one?"

Now she was confused. "W-What?"

"Which me are you in love with?"

"…"

"Or should I say…which _idea_ of me are you in love with?"

"I…" Maylu tried to speak, but couldn't find any words to say.

"This is the problem…my problem, actually. I think I should make things right for once."

He released his grip on Maylu and gently placed her on the sofa as he got up.

"I'll make the tea, okay? You just relax there. And…I'm sorry for being so mean a while ago. I've just been frustrated at seeing you like this."

She was silent as he left for the kitchen, her head down and hands in her lap.

He came back a few minutes later to find her in the same position.

"Here, I hope I made it well enough," he said, offering her a cup of tea.

Maylu slowly took the cup from him, and sipped from it equally slowly. She was still silent as he sat down beside her.

"You want to know, right?"

She didn't respond.

"You want to know why when I saw you and Chaud that day, I was so happy. Well, this is the thing I wanted to make right. You see, all that happiness…you thought I was faking it, but that's far from the truth."

Maylu's interest picked up, but she made no indications of it.

Lan sipped his tea thoughtfully. "You and Chaud falling in love with each other wasn't some accident, or some mistake. It wasn't a tragic ending at all."

She looked over at him. He was as calm and content as she had ever seen him. What was he going on about…?

"That whole occurrence was something I had thought out a while in advance. It was difficult to do, but I think the results show that it was all worth it. It was…"

He smiled. "Exactly as planned."

* * *

Yai Ayano had just remembered that she had someone to pick up at the Airport. She made a phone call to Doctor Hikari and Chaud to tell them she would be coming in later than she had foretold.

"I'm picking up someone of use, that's all you need to know," she had said to Chaud.

"Of use to who?" he replied sarcastically.

"Don't dwell on it," she said dryly.

"Fine. I'll be on my way to Kotobuki with Froid. You think we should drag along Hikari, too?"

"…"

"Hey, are you listening?"

"Sorry, I was thinking about something. No, we won't bother. He's got enough to worry about at home. Do you plan on bringing Maylu with you?"

"No…she's been a little stressed out, I think. Leaving her with the Hikaris is the best thing for her."

"If it's like that…I agree wholeheartedly. Anyways, I don't want to keep my guest waiting, so I'll be off."

"Yeah, okay. See you when you get there."

The call ended. Yai sighed and looked out of one of her mansion's huge windows. The little rich girl from way back when had grown in recent years, standing at nearly Maylu's current height, just half a head shorter than her. She still had the same taste in dresses, wearing a longer version of her usual red dress with yellow lines near the skirt edges. Her hair had grown a bit, but she still kept it from obscuring her famous forehead.

"Oi, Lan…I didn't think you were that reckless…"

She smiled as she walked out of the front door, grabbing her favourite umbrella as she left.

"But that's the reason I can trust you, right?"

She walked down to the Metroline and bought a ticket to the Airport. As she sat on the train, she looked at the umbrella she carried. This one was very special, because it was one that Lan had given her a long time ago.


	15. Simple Gifts

"Hey, Yai! Wait up!"

The summer of three years earlier. Lan was chasing after Yai to give her back the notes he had borrowed for the summer assignment.

"Oh, thanks, Lan. You made good use of them, I hope?"

"Definitely, merci beaucoup, mademoiselle."

"De rien, garcon."

"Hey!"

"Oh come, it was a joke…honestly, people take offence to anything these days!" she said mockingly.

Lan grinned. "It'll take more than that to bring me down! I can understand a lot of your fancy words now!"

"You're becoming quite studious lately, Lan. Is it because of…?"

"Eh? What do you-?" He then realized what she was talking about and blushed. "It's not like that, Yai!"

"Ah, young love!"

"Hey, hey! Don't go around spreading rumours about that sort of thing!"

"Spread rumours? Moi?" Yai said innocently.

"Yes you, femme fatale!"

"Lan, I didn't know you thought of me that way…I'm flattered."

"Eh? Hey, quit confusing me!"

"Lan, we've gotta go downtown, remember?" Megaman said suddenly.

"Ah, that's right! I'll see you later, Yai! Thanks a lot, au revoir!"

"Au revoir…Lan…" She smiled as she watched him disappear down the street.

"That guy's something else, eh?" Yai made her way home, noting it was her birthday tomorrow.

"Mm…seems like everything's ready for that day. It should be interesting."

The next day, invitations were passed out at lunchtime. It seemed like the entire school was going to show up…well, she did have the space to hold them all comfortably.

"Yai! I heard about the party, sounds like it'll be great!"

"Ah, Maylu. You got an invitation, right?"

"Come to think of it…I don't think so. And I haven't seen Lan, so I'm not sure about him, either."

"Don't worry, I'll be at the door greeting everyone, so just come on by, okay? By the way, where has he been?"

"Downtown again."

"Again? You mean like yesterday?"

"Actually, it's been like this the whole month. He says he's looking for something important…maybe a present for me?" she said thoughtfully. "Well, probably not. He's not the type of guy to get me something unless he knows I'd like it. It's for someone else."

"Would you know who?"

"Probably not. Or, he could be just looking at some more battlechips…it would be like him."

"Well, he _is _Lan, after all."

"That's true….but that's why he's so special to me, I guess. He's always passionate about whatever is close to him."

"Sounds like you two are perfect for each other!"

"Well, I…" She blushed visibly. "I guess that's true, huh?"

"Of course! Have I ever been wrong before? Hey, I'll see you later, I have to make sure everything's ready."

"Yeah, alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Yai." The two went their separate ways.

Yai had almost made it home when…

"Hey there, little girl…where you going?"

Two men with ski masks on stood in front of her, blocking the entrance to the mansion.

"What do you want…?"

"Ah, a little money would be nice…along with anything else you've got in that house of yours," one said.

"Listen…whatever you want, I'll-"

"Shut up and get inside!" he said, pointing a knife at her head.

"Hey, what's going on?"

The three turned towards the voice.

"Lan? What are you…just leave, okay? Nothing's happening here!"

"Hey, is that your friend? We'll take care of him, too."

"Lan, get out of here!" Yai yelled.

"I won't leave, Yai. This isn't right," he replied.

"Beat it, kid. Or else we'll get rough with you!" the other man said.

"What is it you want from Yai?"

"What's it to you?"

"If it's something rare, I guess…it's okay if I do this." He pulled off his backpack and pulled a small case out of it. It was filled with battlechips.

"Here, these are all yours, if you leave her alone. It's all I have of value, really…most of them are rare, and I've gotten quite a few from the Undernet and all. Anyways…it doesn't matter. Just take them and leave."

"You think that's it?"

Lan's expression was unchanged. "What do you mean?"

"It's because of her family that we lost our jobs…our lives! So we're taking them back the best way we know how."

"So you're angry."

"Damn right!"

"Fine, then." Lan unholstered his terminal and tossed it to Yai.

"You can take it out on me."

"What?"

"Lan? Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing?" Yai screamed.

"I'm trying to solve the situation…the best way I know how."

"You idiot! They'll kill you! They'll really kill you!"

"I'm fine with that, if it's for a friend."

"?" Yai was frozen in disbelief. "You would…do that? For me?"

"Of course…I wouldn't hesitate."

"But…"

He smiled. "It's not a problem, since you've probably saved my life a few times, right? And even if that wasn't the case, you're one of my precious friends, Yai. I don't have to think twice about…protecting the ones I really care about."

"Lan…you really mean that…"

He suddenly fell after taking a kick to the stomach.

"You're making me sick, kid. So I guess we'll take up your offer after all."

"Y-Yai…go inside, I'll…be fine…"

"Lan, I can't leave you like this!"

"No, don-uff!...ah…get yourself…safe…uhh…!"

"Yai…we should do what he says." Megaman said.

"…"

"I'm angry as well, and I feel really helpless right now, but…this is the way he's chosen. There's nothing we can do until it's over…"

"…I…don't want to…"

"Yai…it's for Lan's sake."

"…Okay."

She ran for the door and locked it shut behind her, and then placed a call to the police. Lan's screams of pain were audible, and she shuddered at each one.

The beatings soon stopped as sirens became louder. Yai rushed outside to Lan as quickly as she could.

"Lan! Lan, speak to me, please! Lan!"

The boy smiled, his eyes still closed. "Hey…Yai. Didn't want…you to see this…"

She smiled back, tears in her eyes. "You're alive, that's all that matters, you big idiot."

"King of idiots…that's me, heh. They took the case…I guess…"

"Yeah, they did…am I really…?"

"Of...course. You always have…been."

The two were silent for a moment.

"…It was a stupid, stupid thing to do." Yai said.

"I'd...do it again…"

"Yes…I know."

"Hey…I almost forgot…backpack."

"Huh?"

"I think he wants you to go into his backpack and take out something." Megaman said.

"What is it?"

"Ah…long…wrapping paper…"

"You mean this?" Yai said, holding up a long object with a handle.

"Yeah…Happy Birthday, Yai."

She looked at him for a moment and hesitated to open her present. After taking a deep breath, she started to unwrap a big, red umbrella with a ceramic handle. The outside material was the latest in waterproof fabrics, and the spokes holding the fabric together had shining crystals at the ends. The end was ceramic like the handle.

"Lan…how much did you pay for this?"

"If you have to ask…it's too expensive for you…" he said jokingly. "I won't be…able to have that date with Maylu I planned…I guess."

"But…you didn't have to spend all of this money on me! Especially on me!"

"Thought…it would be nice to give…you something…I picked out myself…for once. Money's no object…that's how I reasoned."

Yai looked at her present with interest. Was this…?

"_Actually, it's been like this the whole month. He says he's looking for something important…"_

This guy was really…

"_It's for someone else."_

"I…I love it, Lan."

"Mm…that's great…I thought of you when…I saw it."

"Me?"

"Looked like…something you'd…enjoy."

Yai blinked and looked at her present again. It was so simple, yet so beautiful at the same time. Kind of like…

"_He's always passionate about whatever is close to him."_

"I…see. Thank you, for everything. I'll…I'll pay you back somehow…"

"Don't worry about…that…"

"Sorry, but I can't leave a debt unpaid. And your battlechips…"

"Been looking…for…an excuse to start from scratch…grassroots…something…like that."

"Don't be stubborn!"

"No, he's right, Yai. This is a good opportunity for us to start anew, I guess. We'll make ourselves even stronger, like we always have."

"…If it's that way…then…okay. But I'm here if you need anything at all…"

"Thanks. I'll…be missing the great party…"

"Yeah, you will…I'll sneak you in some food when I visit you, okay?"

"Better…keep your promise…"

She giggled. "Honestly…you always amaze me, Lan…but that's what's so great about you, isn't it?"

"Has to be…"

She placed her hands on top of his as the police and ambulance arrived.

* * *

Yai stepped off of the train and into the Arrivals lobby of the airport. She waited for a few minutes before spotting a young man being escorted by Netopian policemen and what seemed to be Official Netbattlers from Netopia as well.

"Honestly…with all of the help he's given them, can't they just…ah, forget it. I'll show him some hospitality, at least."

She walked forward to meet him, and she saw his amber eyes light up as he noticed her.

"Yai...Yai! I didn't think I'd see you again!"

"Same here. What's with the security?"

"Ah…lack of trust, I guess. I hardly notice it these days, though."

"…It's not fair. It's not fair at all."

"Yai, don't worry…"

"No, I can't stand for this. I'm going to take care of you. Where are you staying?"

"A hote-"

"That won't do. You'll stay with me."

"Ah, but-"

"Don't be stubborn! I have enough resources and room for you."

"Hm…" He scratched at his silver hair. "That would be nice, Yai…"

"Then it's settled…I'll deal with the authorities for you. Now, we need to get going to Kotobuki."

"Is that where the meeting place is?"

"Yes. I'll be there with you, so don't worry about a thing, okay?"

"It's fine, really. I'm used to that feeling by now…"

"That's…that's not right. You shouldn't have to get used to a feeling like that."

"…"

"Anyways…you'll be able to meet that guy sooner or later. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah…it has. Let's work quickly, then."

"Yes, let's. Come, we'll be late for the train if we don't hurry…"

"Yai?"

"Hm?"

"I promise…I'll do my best!"

"I never doubt you will, Shuryou."

He smiled. "Then…we're off!"


	16. No Love Lost

It was the spring of four years before. Leaves were starting to show up on the trees, and flowers were blooming everywhere. The air was cool and crisp as the sun shone in a clear blue sky.

A boy and a girl stood facing each other in front of the ACDC Elementary School gates.

Lan Hikari was determined and nervous.

Maylu Sakurai was curious as to what he had to say to her.

"What is it you need, Lan?" she said kindly.

"I…I don't really know how to say this properly. But I…I've thought about it for a long time…about you and me, Maylu."

Her breath caught in her throat. Was he really…?

"We've been friends a long time, you know? But I have these feelings that I can't hold back any longer. So I want to tell you that I love you."

He looked straight at her, fire in his eyes. "I love you, Maylu Sakurai."

The books in her hands were suddenly on the ground as she hugged Lan as tightly as she could, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"Lan, I've been waiting…for so long…to finally hear those words! I love you, too…I love you so, so much! I want us to stay like this forever…"

"Me too…whatever makes you happy…"

"Only you…could make me feel like this! There's nobody else, nobody."

The two stood in their embrace, their thoughts far removed from the outside world. Neither one of them could wish for anything more than this moment they shared.

"I'll be by your side, Lan…I promise…"

"Maylu…"

There was nothing else they could possibly want.

* * *

"It's raining."

Lan looked over at Maylu sleepily. It had been a while since she had spoken. She was looking outside at the falling rain.

"Yeah…I think Mom's worrying about us by now. We should head back, unless you feel like staying here."

"No, I want to come along."

"Alright. I'll wait for you down here, then."

Maylu looked puzzled for a moment, until she realized that she was still half-naked on the couch.

"Oh…okay. I'll be back quickly."

"No rush."

She nodded and made her way up to her bedroom. Lan stared at the rain falling outside.

"Huh…it's raining. Was she thinking about that time, too?"

* * *

"Lan…what are you saying?"

"Ah, what I'm trying to say is…that I think you two are perfect for each other."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Sure it does. You just don't want to see it."

Two years before. The sky was filled with dark clouds. Lan and Maylu stood face to face outside the elementary school gates. Just like they had a few years back.

"Don't be an idiot! You and I, we're supposed to be together forever, remember?"

"Maylu, don't…"

"We're meant for each other, don't you see? Even with what I've done, I…can't believe you'd let go so easily!"

"That's not true…there's no reason for me to hold you like this, you know?"

"You're not holding me against my will! I want to be with you, Lan, to go anywhere you want to go. I…I want to stand behind you and support you in everything you do."

"…"

"Lan?"

"…Why are you…lying to yourself, Maylu?"

Her eyes widened in shock. "W-What?"

"I'm not the kind of guy you could live happily with. I know it, and you know it."

"That's not true!"

"It is, Maylu."

"…Why do you say that?"

"Because you're always worrying about me."

"Are you serious? I will always worry about you, Lan. It's who I am, remember?"

"No, it's not like that."

"?"

"The way you worry about me is…a lot closer to fear."

Maylu looked disbelievingly at him. "I…I don't understand."

"I'm not the kind of person who walks a straight path, or will ever do so. I never really know where I'm going, and even if I do, I never know how exactly I'll get there. That puts me in all kinds of danger all of the time. I'm reckless, we both know it."

"Lan, I told you I'd-"

"I know what you've said, but that doesn't mean anything. Every time I have to fight someone, or go into a dangerous situation or anything like that, you get scared because you don't know what's going to happen next. Everything is on the fly with me. Yeah, I find a way, but…you could never get rid of that feeling of fear and helplessness. I keep seeing it all the time, and it's hurting you. It's really hurting you badly."

"…"

"That guy…is someone who has a plan for every situation. He has almost everything he wants to do planned out. Never charging head on, always knowing when to fall back or charge forward. It's steady, reassuring. That's what you want, and it's really what you need in your life."

He smiled. "You've been happiest when we could slow down and figure things out together. When we don't have to rush or worry about time. Someone like me needs a lot of time to do something like that, but he can…do it all in pretty much an instant. He's not prone to making mistakes or doing foolish things. You're happier like that, I know it."

"Lan…I…"

"Maylu…he'll always be there for you. So you can love him without reservations."

"What…the hell are you saying?"

"I don't know. What do you think I'm saying?"

"You…you bastard!" Lan suddenly felt his right cheek sting from a slap.

"Oh…you're angry."

"Shut up! How dare you even think that I've been holding out on you! I've loved you with all of my heart, with all of my strength for as long as I can remember! How the hell could you say something like that?"

"Because I keep seeing it in the way you look at me. You don't want to put all of your heart into loving me, because you're not sure I'll make it back. You're scared of the pain you might feel if you don't see me anymore because something terrible happened. Nobody wants to feel that kind of pain, you know? I can understand."

"Don't you…don't you mock me, Lan!"

"I'm not mocking you. I'm just telling you the truth. I want you to be free. I love you, so I want to see you happy. Is that so hard to understand?" He shrugged. "Just think about it, that person Chaud will be around whenever you need him. He'll be able to understand you and give you whatever help you need. He'll be there for you like I couldn't."

"But you've always been there for me."

"No, I haven't. As much as it hurts me to say it, I've been pretty useless at times."

"Don't say that," she said sadly. "You've always been giving me strength, Lan."

"Ah…but we can't win battles through strength alone."

"Lan…"

"It hurts, you know? Just having to say this, even I can't believe it at times. You're so special to me, Maylu. I've felt so good from just being near you, just talking to you. It's been so amazing. But you know, he needs you, too. Chaud has brightened up a lot lately, I've noticed. I wish it was another girl, but…that's life, I guess."

He placed a hand on her head gently. "Make sure you never let him go."

"Lan, don't you…do you still love me?"

"I always will, Maylu."

"Then…aren't you upset?"

"You mean angry? No, not at all. I'm not frustrated, either. Maybe…"

He looked up at the sky. "More like sad, just a little. Do you deny your feelings, Maylu?"

"…I can't. I really can't."

"That's good, then. Seeing you in pain because you were holding back your feelings…that would be the worst thing for me."

Rain suddenly started to fall.

"Hm. That's interesting."

Maylu looked at Lan solemnly. He looked so calm, yet so sad. It must have hurt so much to have something like this happen.

She felt guilty about everything. They were just friends, Chaud and her, right?

But…it seemed that wasn't the case. She was drifting further and further away from Lan, and she didn't even know it. There was nothing she could say to make it all better.

They both knew it was the end.

_Lan…you're so strong. I guess that right now…heaven is crying for you._

Seeing him like this broke her heart. There wasn't anything that could be done.

He leaned close and kissed her on the cheek. "Good luck, Maylu. Thanks for everything."

His words lingered in the air as he walked away from her.

"Thank you…Lan."

* * *

"Hey. I'm ready."

Maylu came down the stairs in a white blouse and red knee-length skirt. She wore a familiar pair of red sneakers.

Lan got himself off of the couch and went to put his shoes on. "You decided to keep those ones, eh?"

"Yeah. This is my first time wearing them, actually."

"Oh? That's interesting."

He yawned as he opened the door. "Shall we go?"

"It's still raining-"

To Maylu's surprise, the rain had stopped. The sun shone brightly through the clouds.

"Hey, that's great. It's going to be a nice day after that, huh?"

Lan smiled as a ray of light illuminated his face. "You ready, Maylu?"

She couldn't help but feel good, seeing him smile like that. Maybe all she had wanted was to be closer to him again. It always felt good being near him.

She wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world.

"Yeah…let's go, Lan."

The two made their way out as a pink limousine pulled up to the Sakurai house.

"It's Yai," Lan said.

Sure enough, the young woman stepped from the back door of the limousine, her forehead shining quite visibly in the light.

"No mistake," Maylu said with embarrassment.

"Hey, it's you two! Thankfully, I caught you."

"We're going to get something to eat at Lan's place, Yai."

Yai's face lit up. "Oh! Miss Hikari's cooking! Perfect!" She ran over to the limousine's back door again.

"Hey, come on!"

"Eh? We're in Kotobuki already?"

"No, no. It's a detour for some food."

"Oh, okay. I'm kind of hungry."

"That's perfect, then."

A silver-haired boy followed Yai back to where Lan and Maylu were.

"I don't believe it. Shuryou's here," Lan said.

"Yeah…he's gotten a lot cuter since I last saw him," Maylu said teasingly.

"Well…you too, Maylu…if Lan doesn't mind me saying that."

"Actually, I'm not the one you should worry about in that case."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We're not together anymore."

"…Oh."

"Yeah. It's been about two years."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be silly! There's nothing to be sorry for," Yai said. "I mean, they're standing right beside each other, you see? They're still close to each other, just that they're not in that kind of relationship anymore."

"I see…"

"I guess I could explain it to you later, if you want," Lan suggested.

"Yeah, that could be okay."

"Actually, I should ask Maylu if that's all right…"

"No, it's fine. I don't have any problem with you guys talking about it."

"Okay, that's great."

"There you guys are! I've been waiting a bit, you know. Come on and eat before everything gets cold! Yai and Shuryou, too!" Haruka had stepped outside to search for Lan and Maylu.

"Well, you heard the lady. Let's go, everybody."

* * *

"It's cold…"

Ciel stood on a rooftop, shivering even as the sun shone down on her.

"So…cold…"

She couldn't take anymore of this…slowly losing her mind to her anger, her sadness and frustration. All she could do was hope that someone would save her…

But she wasn't sure if she wanted to be saved anymore.

Dark and cold. For the past while, it was all she had known. It was pulling her in with every passing moment.

By the time he got to her, there probably wouldn't be anything left to save.

"Light…brings me pain…"

Ciel could feel her consciousness slipping. There wasn't a thing she could do anymore. Fighting that side of her wasn't yielding any results.

"Sorry, Lan…"

It was just too much.

"I'm going to a place where you won't be able to reach me."

She wished it could have been different.

"I know that you've probably saved her, right?"

But it wasn't meant to be.

"I wish you could have saved me too…"

She closed her eyes as the tears started to fall.

"Goodbye…"


	17. No Love Lost, Part 2: Shattered Facade

Leviathan bowed her head towards Zero, not wanting to look at him directly. She had run into him just after he had left his battle with Protoman, trying to exit the Waterworks network.

"I screwed up, Zero. I…failed the mission, and I'll take full responsibility for the consequences of my failure. I will accept my punishment willingly."

"Your punishment…what could that be?"

"Please…I don't want you to draw it out. Just delete me quickly…"

"Delete you…"

"I failed the mission, right? I messed around and didn't get the job done, so I'm nothing but dead weight. I'm useless. So just…delete me, since I don't have any other use."

"Those are the rules made by the scientists who made you?"

"They placed those rules on me, and altered some of my programming, but…they didn't make me. My creator was the same as yours, but I'm not your equal in any way, I understand that."

"Ciel created you, eh? Interesting."

He smirked and started to walk off.

Leviathan was still trembling as she looked up to see him leaving. "Zero…you're supposed to…"

"Supposed to what? Delete you? Ridiculous."

"But…but…"

"I don't follow any rules other than Ciel's. Did she say to delete you in this situation?"

"N-No…she didn't."

"Then there is no need for me to do so, understood?"

Leviathan had a bewildered look on her face. Zero was letting her live. Why? What was the reason?

She had assumed that Zero walked the same path as Weil and Ciel did, but now he had said that he only obeyed Ciel, and…Ciel's set of rules didn't seem to follow Weil's.

She was also Ciel's creation…who did she follow now? What was everything going to be like? Where exactly were Ciel and Zero going?

"Walk with me, Leviathan."

She snapped out of her daze, looking at him attentively.

"You don't have to give it much thought. If you follow me, we'll cut down anyone who stands in our way. Ciel says so, and I trust her."

She looked Zero over. He was messed up quite a bit, she noted, from fighting Protoman for a while. This wasn't his most efficient body, so he would have some trouble against strong opponents. But seeing him cut down those Official Navis earlier on without any effort, even in that state…

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to follow him.

"I want to trust you, too…Zero."

He shrugged. "That's your decision…don't think ill of me if I have to do something harsh, then."

The two continued on their way to find an exit, side by side. Everything was going to change, in a big way. Leviathan had a feeling it was going to happen soon, and that Zero was going to be a big part of it.

She wanted to see where this path could take her.

"It would be nice to have the other two Generals cooperate as well."

"We could arrange that, Zero."

"That's fine, then…"

He closed his eyes. "Our paths…mine and Ciel's…they are to be something special. How far it goes away from the company's ambitions is up to her. Whatever she asks of me, I will do it. She doesn't think of me just as a tool, though…we have some kind of bond, I believe."

"Bond?"

"Yeah…it's difficult to explain."

"Well, whenever you think you've got it, I'm here."

"…Yeah. Thanks."

"I'd like to know…what that kind of thing feels like, as well…"

"You probably will soon."

A flash of green light appeared in front of the two at that moment. As it faded, a warrior clad in green armour bowed politely to them both.

"I see you're both doing well."

"So you've arrived, Harpuia," Zero said.

"Indeed. I received the report of the mission…do you wish me to deliver the punishment in your place, Zero?"

"You mean that rule, or whatever. Don't bother, if it was important, I would have done it myself. Good help is hard enough to find as it is."

"I see."

"You were ready to delete her so quickly?"

"Only if orders dictate, and even then…I'd be reluctant to do so. Leviathan may mess around at times, but she is well intentioned, so to speak. I'd be disappointed if she had to disappear like that."

"Hm. You're a straightforward kind of guy, I see. Interesting. Maybe this whole 'Destruction' and 'Resurrection' thing might not be so boring after all."

He looked around. "Hope they don't mind if I just do this…"

Zero charged an index finger with energy, and sliced the air in front of him. It peeled back like wallpaper immediately, revealing the paths of networks behind it.

"I don't feel like walking around here anymore. With any luck Ciel will show up soon…this body is starting to get annoying."

He stepped through the tear in space, Leviathan following behind him happily.

"You coming, Sage?"

"No, thank you. I'll head back to base for now."

"Okay. Just let us know…when you want to join us."

He smirked. "Don't worry about that…you'll know when."

She smiled back. "Great!"

She departed soon after.

"Crazy woman…" Harupia said to himself, as he vanished in a beam of emerald light.

* * *

"I didn't think I'd already met her. This is interesting."

Lan, Maylu, Yai, and Shuryou were all seated around the Hikari dinner table, waiting for the food to be ready and talking about various things that had happened over the years.

Maylu managed to pull up a photo of Ciel from public record after Shuryou had asked what she looked like.

"You met her? When was that?" Lan asked.

"It was in Netopia…I think two years ago. I've been in and out of there for quite a while, doing some investigative work and all." He pulled out a pocket computer and looked for a photo. "We took a picture together while we were there. This one."

Everyone leaned over to look. The picture had the two of them smiling, Shuryou with a cheerful look on his face, and Ciel looking serene. Even so, there seemed to be a hint of sadness coming from her smile.

"She was strange, in a very good way, and very kind as well. I actually ended up meeting a few more nice people because of her."

"That's wonderful," Maylu said. "It must be a shock to hear about her becoming like this, though."

"Well, yes, but…not really. She told me that she had some problems in her life, talking about how what was inside of her would consume her eventually. I somewhat understood what she meant by that, and wished it wouldn't happen. I couldn't understand what would make her that way, though…never did find out from her."

"So…you think there's a way to help her, then?"

"In any other situation, I'd be unsure. Since Lan's here, though…I'm sure it will work out fine."

"Ah, so you have that much faith, eh?" Yai asked jokingly.

"Of course. He's proven himself before, hasn't he?"

"That's true, that's true. You heard that, Lan?"

"Yeah. Don't worry; I won't let you guys down."

Maylu put a hand on top of his. "Lan…if it gets too tough for you, just remember we're here. Even though you're the only one who can help her right now, we won't let you fight alone."

"Alright. Thanks, Maylu."

She nodded. "We'll be there whenever you need us."

"I guess I couldn't have asked for my son to have better friends, right? That's wonderful, how you guys are always ready to support him like that," Haruka said, placing dinner plates in front of each of them.

"We just do what we can, whenever we can, that's all. It's nothing, really," Yai replied.

"Ha! That's way too modest for someone like you, Yai," Lan said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's pretty obvious what he meant."

"Oh? Am I going to get a lesson on modesty from you, Maylu?"

"It would be nice if you did. I've got a lot more experience than you do, anyways."

"Of course you would think that, right?"

"I would! Do you think that _you_ are more modest than I am? I can safely say that it's not very hard to be more modest than you."

"I'm very humble, thank you very much!"

"So says the one with the bright pink limousine!"

"It's for aesthetics, aesthetics!"

"Aesthetics? What a joke! You're just a big show-off, don't deny it!"

"Jealous, jealous! Green-eyed woman!"

"I'd hardly be jealous of you! Pretentious girl!"

"It's nice to hear everyone getting along, eh?" Haruka said beneath the shouting match.

"Ladies, maybe you could-" Lan started.

"Wait your turn!" they yelled at him in chorus before continuing their argument.

Lan shrugged and started putting food on his plate.

It was nice to have things somewhat back to normal, at least.

* * *

"I see you're looking well, Ciel."

"…Are you are going to bother me, Eugene Chaud?"

"Just for a moment or two. You know, for information's sake."

Chaud had spotted Ciel on a sidewalk as he and Doctor Froid were about to leave for Kotobuki. He decided to have a little talk with the girl before he did anything else.

"You want information from me?"

"Depends. You have any for me?"

"I do."

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't believe you."

"The goal of all of this…is 'Destruction', which will lead to 'Resurrection'. The first phase will soon begin, when I return the God of Destruction to his throne of power."

"Zero's original body."

"Yes. The people that will lead the resurrection lie in wait for that day. However, I am not one of them. In fact…there may not be a resurrection period at all."

"What do you mean by that? Didn't you say your goal was-"

"That was not my goal. I have no goals…as of now I am just a tool of destruction, along with Zero. We share the same fate…a common bond. That's why he holds so much importance to me, because we both understand each other…we both understand what our purposes are. As such, anyone who interferes will be destroyed."

"Destroyed, huh?"

"Yes…"

"You don't sound like a nice girl at all, you know. Makes me wonder what the hell Hikari was talking about. The way I see it, it was all a big front. This is your true self, right?"

"True…self?"

"Yeah. The real you. I can see right through you."

"…It seems…you don't realize it, like he did."

"Eh?"

"There are two sides…two existences. The part everyone else saw was what was left of my human side. I clung to that as tightly as I could. Purity. Innocence. Kindness. Joy. Sadness. Hope. Despair. Fear. Courage. This was the girl of light that you knew. The one who cried out that last time we met…"

Chaud thought back to the events at the hospital. Something Hikari had said…

_"I think that you're the one being naive, Chaud. She needs our help."_

_"...I'm not going to let her get hurt again. She's been through too much already, I won't leave her alone again..."_

"So who…am I looking at right now?"

"Corruption. Wickedness. Cruelty. Hatred. Coldness. An emotionless individual. A flesh and blood container of priceless information. A machine devoid of any redeeming qualities. I am the girl of darkness you now know. The one who tested the resolve of your lover."

"Yeah? Well, I'll tell you this…do something like that to Maylu again…"

His eyes burned with anger. "And I'll really kill you."

"I could not even if I wanted to. By now, she should be fine…and you will see the face of the woman you loved once more."

_Huh. So she knew about that..._

"…You only talked with her twice, and you deduced all of that, huh? That's good and all, but…I'm still going to destroy you, Ciel, if you continue on this course."

"It will without doubt come to that point, Chaud. The other side of me has more or less already disappeared. I have no choice but to fall into the darkness…or else experience insanity another time. This conflict between light and shadows has gone on for far too long…"

"Make sure that there's no good left in you, then. Because if there is any, Hikari will drag it to the outside for you. He won't give up on you so simply. That reminds me of something Maylu said a while back, in fact…light cannot exist without darkness, and darkness cannot exist without light. True strength comes from the existence of both, and the spirit to use them both with great ability. In other words, you'd better be pitch black by the time he finds you again, or you'll be sorry. But in the meantime, realize this. I'm not the one who can save you. I'm not reckless enough to go to the dark side and back again. Only he could do something like that. I figure he's got a screw loose, but looking back…maybe insanity isn't such a bad thing after all, in his case."

"Do you believe…he is going to save me from the darkness?"

Chaud sighed. "Idiot. It doesn't matter whether I believe in him or not. Nothing I say or do will make a difference. He's going to save your sorry behind."

Ciel had a look somewhere between indifference and surprise on her face.

Chaud smirked in response.

"Bank on it."


	18. Jigsaw Puzzle, Part 4: Chance Meeting

"Yo, Chaud!"

"Shut your mouth! What the hell are you thinking?"

It was a busy time in the city, with the N1 Grand Prix starting in a few days. Lan and Chaud found each other near a crowded street, one visibly upset, the other calm as could be.

"What do you mean?"

"You dumped her!"

"If you want to call it that, fine. But that's…inaccurate, I suppose."

"Inaccurate? I'm dead on, you idiot! You broke up with her, and she's about ready to kill herself!"

"So go and comfort her, then."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you're the one she likes."

"What are you on? We're just-"

"Don't give me that…" Lan said with annoyance. "I may not be at your level, but I'm not an idiot. It's plain as day."

"That doesn't mean-"

"I'm not going to trap her in a place where she's not happy. She likes you a lot, and you like her just as much, if not more. Not only that, but…you can protect her…and yourself…better than I could."

"You say that like you're an amateur or something."

"Maybe I am when it comes to these things. It feels like…I'll be bitter about this for a long time. So just take care of her."

"…You're sure about this…"

"You're the right guy for her. And it seems like she's been helping you as well."

"I'm content just talking with her. You don't need to-"

Lan placed himself right in front of Chaud, eyes full of seriousness.

"How does she look when you talk to her?"

"What are you-"

"Describe her. Be honest."

"Well…" Chaud closed his eyes and thought for a moment, a memory of them sitting together coming to his mind.

"She looks relaxed, and calm. Just…really happy…and…"

"And what? Just say it."

"…Really beautiful."

"…I thought so. That's reason enough."

"What? What about you?"

"I used to see the same things you saw, used to have that feeling in my heart. It vanished a while ago. She's too scared to relax when she sees me, too anxious to be calm. It's hard to be happy when you're in pain like that. I'm causing her pain, and I don't know how to stop it. I'm not loaning her to you, and I'm not giving her away."

He sighed. "She chose you, Chaud."

"You think it'll just end like this, huh?"

"It has to. I kind of wish this wasn't happening right now, but it is."

"This isn't like you at all, Hikari. Are you saying you're going to accept what's in front of you?"

"I don't have a choice. If I keep fighting this time, I'll hurt someone I love instead of protecting them."

"..."

"You two are going to make each other happy, I know it."

"What about you?"

"...I guess we'll see, one day soon."

* * *

"I'm still not over it. I guess I still wish that we could go back to that time, you know?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

Lan and Shuryou were out taking a walk after dinner, leaving the three ladies back at the house.

"But it sounds hard, Lan. If you're like this, then…what about Ciel?"

"All I can do is try to bring her back to the light, I guess. She's been so cold lately. If I can give her a reason to have hope again, then maybe she'll be okay eventually."

"…Do you like her, Lan?"

"No, more than that…I really do love her. I don't know how or why, but we have this bond. I felt it the first time we met, and I know she felt it, too. The way she was at the hospital…she was really worried about me. I know that she's still there, somewhere. But I realize…that I can't give her what she needs. I can't truly open up my heart right now, not even to her. She has to find that strength within herself."

"…That's how it is, then?"

"Yeah, that's what it is."

Shuryou put a hand to his forehead, thinking. "Maybe I should tell you about our time together, in Netopia."

"Well, that would be nice."

"Maybe there's something there, something you could find, Lan."

"Why me?"

"Well, because you two can really see each other, right? Your hearts, I mean. Besides, I want to help her in any way I can. She was…like a big sister to me. Nobody like that could be completely lost, right?"

"Hm. I suppose not."

"Like I said, I have faith in you, Lan. So I'll start…"

* * *

Two years before, in Netopia. The summer sun was beating down on anyone outside, though it was tolerable.

A boy who was down on his luck walked into a café, hoping to get something cool to drink…

"Beat it, kid."

"Huh? What did I do?"

"We don't serve your kind here. Why don't you go cook up some new scheme, huh?"

His name was Shuyrou, former leader of the net-mafia organisation, Gospel, which was now defunct. Unfortunately, thanks to an information leak, his identity had been revealed and he was subsequently harassed everywhere he went. It had been nearly three years since Gospel and he still couldn't catch a break.

He couldn't carry any electronic devices on him other than a modified phone, which had only call and text functions.

"This sucks…that's another place."

Barely any places were willing to serve him since they knew his face from the news reports and internet postings. He was whisked off from place to place as part of his sentencing, which basically had him working for the Official Netbattlers as a consultant, among other things.

"I'd like two drinks, please."

"Two? You're with someone else?"

"No, I'm going to get that boy a drink as well."

He turned around to see who was at the counter. Did someone feel sorry for him or something?

A girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes was standing there, her face cool and composed, wearing plain shorts and a blouse. There was a feeling of serenity there, as well as a twinge of irritation. Her ponytail swung back and forth along with her head as she disapproved of the owner's reason for not giving her an extra drink.

"What if I didn't tell you that I was giving it to him?"

"We don't serve people like him!"

"But you're not serving him, you're serving me."

"I'm not going to let that kid try to use a loophole to get service in here. He's a monster-"

Her eyes flashed just then, her voice becoming ice-cold.

"Be quiet."

"What? Listen, you-"

"I said to shut your mouth," she said with rising intensity. "How dare you call that boy a monster. Do you even know what he's been through, what he had to endure all of this time? Of course not…you're just another one of those fools who goes along listening to every rumour that comes up. All of the cold stares, the rejection and suffering…people like you, you're more disgusting than any criminal. He's worked so hard to overcome his pain, and undo his past mistakes, and yet…all you people do is shove him further and further away. You can keep your drinks…I'll die of thirst before I come back here."

She turned away from the stunned storeowner, her blonde hair sparkling in the light as she made her way to the door. She stopped near Shuryou for a moment.

"Sorry…I couldn't get through, either. Even so…if you just have hope, everything will be fine. I promise…"

Her gentle smile was the last thing he remembered of her as she left.

"Hope…I think I understand…"

He bowed to the owner before leaving. "Sorry for the trouble."

_Who was that strange girl? I feel like I need to talk to her some more…_

His stomach rumbled audibly.

"Oi…I'm getting hungry, too…hotel isn't close, either…"

A sign down the road caught his attention…seemed like a restaurant was nearby.

"Maybe that place? I have…a strangely good feeling about that place."

He walked towards it and made his way inside. After being kicked out of nearly every place he had been to in the past few days, Shuryou was a little uneasy about placing an order.

"Oh, so it's you. Here you go."

A young waitress had placed a glass of juice in front of him. Her hair was silver and she gave him a smile as she bowed politely.

"If you need any more, just ask, okay?"

"Wait! I didn't ask for anything yet!"

"Oh, right. The lady over there said someone like you would be coming in, so she's the one who paid in advance."

He looked over to where the waitress was pointing. Sitting in a corner silently was the girl he had seen earlier.

"Oh, I see."

"Either she's a psychic, or she just has really wicked intuition...but it was nice of her to do something like that. Oh, I have a question."

"Okay, what is it?"

"You used to be in charge of Gospel, right?"

"Uh..." _I guess it was bound to happen sometime..._

"Yeah...I was."

"I see...that's great, then!"

"Listen, I-huh? It's great?"

"Yeah, I mean you must have had to do quite a bit of networking to pull something like that off, right? Not to mention have a great business model and resources to pull from..."

"Well...there are certain processes you have to go through..."

"And the programming, too! I took a look at some of the information that the government released about Gospel...it's amazing! You did that all by yourself?"

"Pretty much..."

"If it's not too much trouble...um...I-I..." Her face started to turn red. "Could you possibly...tell me about it? A-And maybe..."

"Well...if you get me a pitcher of juice and another glass...we could sit and talk about it, if you want."

"Wow...really?"

"Sure. I don't have any problems with it."

"O-okay! I'll be right back!"

As she left, he looked over to the corner where the girl was still sitting. It was a bit dark, so he couldn't see her very well, but...he could swear he saw a smile on her face just then.

"Alright...you don't mind if I take notes, do you?"

"Not at all. I'll start from the beginning, is that okay?"

"Of course..."

The two talked for a while, with the girl getting up occasionally to serve more customers as they came in.

"I'm really sorry…"

"It's okay, take your time." His stomach rumbled just then.

"Oh, I'll get you something on my way to the kitchen, don't worry!"

"Ah…thanks…"

She made her way back with a large plate of food.

_Hm…I don't think I can finish this by myself, even though I'm starving._

"Uh…you could share this with me, if you want."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "W-Well, just give me a few minutes, my shift is almost over!"

"It's fine, I can wait."

"Thanks so much!"

As soon as she was off the clock, she made her way back to the table.

"Oh, where were we?"

"We were talking about a couple of patterns."

"Oh, right! Like those codes you mentioned earlier, right?"

"Yeah. There are a bunch of different sequences to them, but a lot of people don't know that. For example, this one here."

They talked for a few hours before Shuryou found he had to leave.

"You've got a curfew?"

"Yeah, it sucks. I just want to get in early so there's no hassle."

"Oh, okay. Well, thank you so much for your help!"

"It's no trouble at all. By the way, what is it that you're planning to do with that information?"

"Well, I want to start writing high-level programs, ones that could be useful for research and all of that. Maybe one day, start my own company if I get good enough. It's a dream of mine…"

"…"

He took out a piece of paper and started writing down numbers and addresses from his memory, then handed it to the girl.

"What's this?"

"Just a few prominent companies and development teams you could contact…I figured they could help you with getting a job or an internship. And if you're wondering…"

"Don't worry, I trust you."

"Really…why is that?"

"Well…I know about your story, about how you lost your parents like that when you were so young. Even though what you did was wrong, you were able to accept that and move on, to try to become a better person. That's why…I admire your strength so much."

"All you need is to have hope and courage. You'll really get through anything if you try…someone taught me that a while back."

"Oh, I see. That person must be special to you then, right?"

"Yeah, in a lot of ways…and if you need my help, my contact information is there, too."

"Thank you…if I can, I'll pay you back someday. I hope I can see you again soon! Take care!"

"Yeah…"

He left the restaurant and made his way over to the hotel he was staying in, noting the familiar figure walking beside him.

"It's nice to see you again, big sis. Thanks for the drinks, I'll pay you back."

"No need. It was nice seeing you happy like that."

"Is that the only reason we met?"

"No…for some reason, I really feel like there's something we have in common…and I could use your help in that matter."

"Me? How I can help?"

"There's another part of me that's about to explode…" she said softly. "I want to know…if there's any way that I can stop it."

"Something like that…I don't know if I can help you with, big sis."

She had a thoughtful look on her face. "We'll see. Your phone, can I see it?"

"Oh…sure."

She started to press buttons with one hand as soon as she touched it, then handed it back just as quickly.

"I'll call you tomorrow, and if you're not busy, we can talk."

She walked off, looking back at him for a moment.

"Good night…I hope you sleep well."

"Yeah, you too…"

She gave him a familiar smile as she turned and left.

Shuryou looked at the number that she had entered.

"Hm…so it's…Ciel Amé."

_I guess I'll get to talk to you some more after all._


	19. Jigsaw Puzzle, Part 5: Dark Illuminaton

"You're asking me to do something pretty serious…"

"Well, I have a feeling that you could help me somehow."

"You're sure about that, aren't you?"

"I suppose."

Ciel and Shuryou had met at a small café in the morning. She seemed as if she hadn't slept much at all during the night.

"Okay, what is it that you want me to do about this, exactly?"

"Just tell me how…you got over your sadness. Maybe I can pick something up from that."

"How I got over it…I guess it wasn't easy, if you think about it," he said, scratching his head.

"A long time ago my parents died in a plane crash, and it turned out that it was all part of a crime scheme. I was really upset over it. I lived with some of my relatives for a few years, but they were terrible to me, and I didn't make any friends at all. I guess the only thing I could rely on at that time was technology…the only friends I ever had were computers. That's how I grew up."

"It sounds like you had a really hard time growing up, then."

"Yeah, it was tough. Eventually it got to the point where I started to hate everything and everyone in the world, and wanted to get back at them. I was angry because my parents were gone and I thought that I couldn't trust anyone at all. That's how Gospel was born. After that I met Wily…"

"…The man behind World Three?"

"Yeah, the one and only. He convinced me to give in to my hate so he could manipulate me for his own gains…it only got worse from there. My plans ended up failing, and I lost almost everything. At that point, I didn't feel like living anymore."

"…" Ciel was silent, but understanding of his feelings. She felt the same way often…

"But, at that moment, someone convinced me that life really was worth living, and that you could believe in people without them hurting you. It seemed surreal at the time, the person that had ruined your schemes at every turn offering to be your first friend. I hated reality…but he persuaded me to step back into it again."

He smiled. "I've never regretted my decision, not once."

"A friend…"

"Yeah, it's a really great thing…"

"I…my whole problem is…I don't know what I am anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night, and I'm sitting in front of my computer, typing all of these weird things that I can't understand, and then I just drift off again…I feel like a machine, just working away. I don't know how to talk to people, and I don't know how to make friends…I just know how to make programs, but I don't know why I'm even doing that. It feels like I'm two people, and that I'm being swallowed up by my other side. I feel like at any time, I could just lose my mind completely and really hurt people."

"If that's the case, then I can at least try to help you, Ciel."

"…You can't."

"Why not?"

"Because…because you understand."

"…I still don't get it."

"There's a point of no return, and I'm reaching it quickly…I don't want you to have to do something painful, something that you can't take back."

"…"

"The thing I was going to ask you to do was…help me get rid of my mind."

"W-w-w…what?"

"…I couldn't have you do that. Not someone like you."

"Ciel…! That's crazy! You want me to take away all of your memories, all of your thoughts? That's…that's suicide! It's just the same as killing yourself! How do you even expect me to do that, anyways?"

"You should know..."

"That...! You want me to really turn you into a machine?"

"Isn't that better than living like this?"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

She stood up quickly and yelled back at him.

"No, you don't understand! I don't care about dying! I just want these thoughts to go away! I don't care about memories, I just want everything gone! I-I wake up at nights and I don't know what I'm doing! I go to sleep and I have nightmares all the time! When I look at my hands, all I can see is blood…and…I…"

"Ciel?"

"…I just remember that time…I was so helpless…"

"Ciel…"

"I'm sorry…I yelled at you, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. You were just upset, right?"

"There's…a clock inside of my head. It keeps ticking, and ticking, and ticking. Every time it ticks, I feel a little strange. I feel…colder, somehow. But each time I hear the clock, I start to understand a little bit more about what I'm doing when I'm not aware of myself. It seems like if I go over to that side, I'll understand what this is all about. I'll finally solve that mystery. Maybe I'll even be at peace with myself, if I close my heart off and embrace that feeling."

"But don't you…feel scared when you think of that?"

"Terrified. Every time I think about it, I nearly break down. I like being able to talk to people, to share things with them. I want to know what love feels like…because I've forgotten what it is."

"There's always someone out there, Ciel. I know it, I just know it!" Shuryou said with enthusiasm. "Don't you remember what you said to me?"

"I do…if you have hope, everything will be fine, right?"

"Right! That's my promise to you! You'll make it through all of this, and you'll find someone to help you with whatever you need! And I…I'll do my best for you, too!"

Ciel turned her face away. "Please…don't try and get my hopes up, Shuryou."

"I'm not, I really mean that. Even if it is just a little bit, I want you to open up your heart. I felt like I had nothing to live for, that nobody cared about me, that this world was rotten to the core…but all it took was for one person to change all of that, and to change me. I know that your problems are so deep that even you cannot understand them, and I know that you're not ready to talk about what happened in your past. Still…I think that you should have someone there for you, right?"

"…I don't know. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I…I don't want you to get caught up in my troubles."

"Friends don't worry about that, do they?"

"…Friends?"

"Yeah, friends."

She slowly turned her head to look at him, and saw the smile on his face.

"I want to be friends with someone as nice as you."

"But…"

"Everyone has their problems, Ciel. If we work together, maybe we can fix some of them."

"I guess…maybe we could…"

Ciel noticed something happening to her. It was a sensation, one that was incredibly familiar, yet one that she had not felt in a long time. Was it…happiness? Could this be the beginning of something new?

Even though it seemed a bit hopeless, she wanted to try being happy. Something about the way that boy talked, the sparkle in his eyes…it made her feel warm on the inside.

"I want to try."

"That's good, then!"

For the first time in a long while, she smiled a genuine smile.

"Ciel…you're really pretty when you smile like that."

"Ah…" She blushed at Shuryou's comment. "You really think so…?"

"Yeah, I really do."

"Then…I'll try to do it more often."

* * *

"Has it really been two years…?"

Ciel was back at her house, having snuck in under the yellow tape and through the back door. She knew everything there was to know about this little house.

"Hiding spot…that hiding spot…"

She moved to her closet and pulled open the door. Twisting the handles on the inside and outside, the door split into two, revealing a hollowed out spot for a notebook.

It was the last thing her father left.

"I want to understand it all. Maybe then, those nightmares will go away."

This was the first time she would be reading the book. Something was screaming at her not to open it, but she went through with it anyways. The pages were crisp and clean, and the writing decently legible. She closed the closet again before sitting down on her bed to read.

As her eyes scanned the pages, she felt her heart beating through her chest.

* * *

"So that's it...why didn't she tell me that in the first place?"

Shuyrou scratched his head after listening to the story about Ciel's past, and her parents' murders.

"She didn't want you to get too close, I guess. If you heard something like that, you'd be even more determined to try and help her, and she thought that would just get you into more trouble."

"I didn't even know...her parents were killed, too. She was so much like me, but she was hurt even more in the same period of time."

"Yeah...I think I picked up something from what you told me. She mentioned something about being around computers and spacing out a lot when she talked to me as well. Maylu also mentioned something about her flipping out all of a sudden, and she looked like a different person after she was kidnapped."

"She said she was like a machine, or something. She said that a lot."

"But she said that she could understand what she was doing when she talked to me...two years ago, she didn't know what was going on. The way she looked at me in the hospital was like she was flickering back and forth between states of mind...irregular brain patterns...spending time by herself...and her father only talked with her about programming. Spacing out whenever she did work..."

"...There's a connection somewhere..."

"...She's got at least two personalities, maybe even three. One is her cheerful self...that must be her more 'human' side. That's the Ciel that you and I first met."

"So the second would be...her 'mechanical' self that she kept mentioning. The Ciel that you saw at the hospital, right?"

"Right. She's the one who's in control right now, and the one tasked with handling all of that information stuffed inside of her head. The possible third personalty or middle ground is why she's under so much stress...she's trying to decide who she wants to be. But...what's the significance of moving towards her dark side?"

"Understanding...Lan! It's understanding what she's been doing! Don't you see...?"

"...You mean to say..."

"It's like a trade-off of sorts...the more she gives up of herself, the more she can find out about what the purpose of that information is. And once she throws herself away completely...!"

"..." Lan felt himself start to shake with frustration. If she really did give into her other side, was there no other option but to...really stop her?

"Shuryou...how was it that you were going to fulfill that request of hers?"

"I have most of the programming for Gospel in my head, and aside from that, there was a...second application for the final program I created. It involves using the data from the Gospel program to create pulse signals. Using that in a certain way, I could manipulate areas of memory inside of someone's head...but in a lot of ways it's like a virus of sorts. The person loses all of their memories and has all of their thoughts tuned to the strongest thing in their subconscious. I know this because it's been used before..."

"What? Where was that?"

"A place called Arcadia."

"Arcadia?"

Shuryou's face had a serious look on it.

"Yes, that's right. If I'm not mistaken...the same place that Ciel was born."

The sound of a phone going off snapped them out of their thoughts.

"Hello? Yeah, we're still around. Okay...okay...I understand. We're just around the corner. Okay, see you in a few."

"That was Yai?"

"Yeah. She says that we don't have a lot of time left, and there's a new target..."

"...Where is it?"

* * *

"This is...so...strange..."

Ciel had gotten further and further into the notebook, every word on every page grabbing her attention. Things that wouldn't have made sense a month ago were clear as day. She knew what it was talking about, but somehow...somehow, she still didn't understand it all. Not yet.

The same feeling that was screaming at her to stop reading was making her start to shake a bit. Still, she refused to put down the book.

This was the truth, she knew it had to be. All of the answers that she had been looking for would be in here, right? There wasn't any doubt.

She winced as another headache came on.

Would the truth really set her free?


	20. No Love Lost, Part 3: True Frequency

"Those boys are something else, huh?"

"Yeah, they are…"

Maylu and Yai stepped into the pink limousine waiting for them, and it headed off to meet Lan and Shuryou.

"But you seem a bit different, Maylu."

"How so?"

"You look…well…peaceful. You haven't been like that in a while, you know."

Maylu smiled. "I guess it's because I really am at peace now. I've come to accept some things lately."

"You're talking about Lan, aren't you?"

"Mm…you're too perceptive for your own good."

"Oh, come on. It's always about your first love, isn't it? Especially when he lives right next door to you, too."

"Maybe…it might be like that. But the first time I saw those two together, I felt really happy for some reason. Was that the way he felt about me and Chaud?"

"Have you asked him?"

"…I haven't gathered up the courage yet..."

_But still…I wonder what you're feeling right now, Lan…_

* * *

"Hey! Hey, Chaud! Are you free again?"

"…So annoying. Why would I want to waste my time with you two?"

It was the summer of two years back, and the weather was nothing short of amazing. Lan and Maylu were out looking for something to do downtown when they spotted Chaud walking by them.

"Ah, lighten up…come on, it'll be fun!"

"…"

"Let's just leave him alone, Maylu. He doesn't want to bother with us."

"Oh…but he looks so gloomy sometimes. I was wondering if we could brighten up his day…"

"The hell am I, a charity case? I don't need a prompt from you guys to enjoy myself."

"So you'll come?"

"Only if Hikari gets you to shut up."

"Hey…"

"You're horrible, Chaud!" Maylu said, pouting.

"Whatever." He shrugged and resumed his walk.

"I guess we could follow you, then. Where are you going, anyways?"

_Well, she bounces back quickly, doesn't she…?_

"Lunch."

"Sounds fun!"

"Not really."

"That reminds me…I'm kinda starved…"

"You're always like that, Lan."

"I can't help it!"

"Well, I suppose…hey! Why don't we-"

"No."

"But I didn't-"

"No."

"Chaud!"

"Yes?"

"I want us to have lunch together!"

"…No."

"You're the worst!"

"…Whatever."

Lan scratched his head at the exchange. The two were usually at odds, yet the atmosphere was far from tense every time they were near each other. In fact, if he didn't know better, it was like it was the opposite…ah, well. Nothing to think too much about.

"Hm. Megaman?"

"Yo! What's up, Lan?"

"How much zenny do we have?"

"Ah…about this much." The number showed up on the PET screen. It was a fair amount, but…

"Chaud, where exactly are you going?"

"…Must you be so persistent?"

"Come on, just tell us."

"You know the new restaurant up the street?"

"…That one? Man, I probably don't even have enough money to order a salad there…"

"As I already deduced, it was useless telling you two."

"Well, why don't you take Maylu for company, then?"

"…Wait…what?" Chaud was still attempting to process the message.

"Yeah, it'd be nice…I mean, going by the way I manage my money, it'll be years before she sees the inside of a place like that! It'd be good, right?"

"Hey, don't be like that, Lan. I'm sure Chaud can help you out a bit, right?"

_I'd rather not, but…it's better than what that airhead is thinking right now…_

"Fine. I-"

"I refuse."

"You're okay with this, Lan?"

"You…idiot!" Chaud was visibly irritated by now. "You're going to send your girlfriend on a…_a date_ with someone else, in an expensive restaurant?"

"Well…yeah. I guess you could call it a date, huh? I don't mind, though."

"Are you for real, Hikari?"

"Absolutely," he said with a big smile. "Besides, if I were to lose Maylu, I'd rather the guy I lose to be my lifelong rival."

"…We're not lifelong rivals."

"Aren't we? I thought we shook on it."

"…Whatever. Look…" He rubbed his temples in frustration. "I'll take her over there, okay? But if anything happens, it's your fault! Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah. It'll be fine, don't worry. Anyways, I have some stuff to get to, so I'll catch you both later!"

Chaud had a look of disbelief on his face. _You…you didn't understand a word I said, did you?_

"Lan! Make sure to call when you finish up!" Maylu shouted.

"Alright!"

_You truly are…the king of idiots._

He turned to Maylu, who gave him a cheerful smile in response.

"Shall we go? I can't wait to see a place like that!"

"Uh…yeah."

It was taking everything he had at this point to keep his composure. Of all the things to do…

"It's lovely what you're doing for me, Chaud. You're really a good person."

"Yeah…sure."

"Although…Lan is really carefree, isn't he?"

"Seems like it…" _He's way too carefree, actually._

She smiled at him again. "I know we'll have a good time," she said softly.

"That's…what I hope…" he said as his face started to turn red.

To go out on a date with your crush…who happened to be your rival's girlfriend.

Yeah, awkward didn't even begin to describe it at all.

* * *

"Didn't think I'd ever be back here."

Chaud had arrived at what was five years ago the old Gospel base in Kotobuki. Now, many of the walls had been removed between the apartments to create whole floors of space, crawling with wires and complicated equipment. Entire areas were taken up by servers and rows upon rows of desktops, with people working diligently at their tasks. The atmosphere was abuzz with discussion and debate.

"You made it, Chaud." Yuuchirou Hikari spotted the young man at the entrance.

"Yeah. This is my floor, right?"

"Yes. The other places are for focus on other areas, but right here is the heart of the operation."

"I see. Then we should get to work…the first thing I want to do is investigate Ciel's birthplace."

"You mean Arcadia?"

"Yeah. More specifically, about a certain incident that was related to Gospel."

"Ah, that one. The Maverick Frequency."

"Is that what it was called?"

"It is. At the same time, the original Zero came into existence. He was basically a prototype at that point."

"Prototype…huh. So how did Ciel get a hold of all of that information? Even with a sharp knowledge of her father's work, there's no way she should be able to create a program as complicated as Zero is, from what you've been telling me."

"Right. From my analysis, there are far too many variables at critical points to make it all work. Ciel was away from the area so long after her parents passed on that she couldn't have studied up on all of that in such a short time…"

_Study…that's not something you can study. You really have to know that sort of thing…nah, couldn't be that, could it?_

"She didn't. If what I'm thinking is correct…"

"What do you mean, Chaud?"

"I'll tell you once all the evidence is gathered. For now, let's find out what happened to the data from the Maverick Frequency incident and what happened to the company there…"

_But I really hope I'm wrong about that girl…_

* * *

"Hey! Whoever's up there, come out with your hands up!"

"…"

Ciel was currently under her bed, the notebook clutched in her hands. She had completely forgotten about the guard in her haste to get inside earlier. Okay, what to do now?

She did a mental inventory, reviewing what was expendable and what wasn't.

Nothing. It could all disappear easily, except for the notebook.

So it would be like that. Fine.

The natural gas heater was just down the stairs, the oven in the kitchen and the back door just beyond. The linen closet was near the washroom. That was the first stop.

"Ready…"

Ciel moved as silently as she could, crawling slowly from under the bed.

"Go!"

With a whisper, she took off through the open door and broke right towards the washroom.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

Ciel dropped a step and then swiftly flung the closet door outwards, causing the young officer to stop in his tracks. She used the opportunity to grab a towel and run into the washroom, locking the door behind her.

Turning on the faucet, she stuck the towel under it as she wrapped up the notebook in paper towel and a shower curtain before tossing it out of the window with all of her might, watching as it landed in the sandbox of the park.

"Okay…"

Bang! Bang! The door was being rammed into repeatedly.

Ciel grabbed the wet towel from under the faucet and twisted it up. She moved cautiously towards the door as it shook from another impact. With great speed, she unlocked the door and flung it open. The young man stopped and blocked an incoming punch to his stomach.

"No dice."

Ciel brought her free hand up and whipped him in the face with the wet towel, sending him stumbling back as she pushed him out of the way and flew down the stairs. The gas heater was in a space by itself, and she fiddled with a valve until it broke off and a loud hissing sound could be heard. She whipped the officer again with the towel as she blew by him and reached the kitchen.

"Dammit! What the hell!"

She ignored him and started stuffing aerosol cans into the oven as she turned it on. She followed up by punching a hole in a bottle of cooking oil and tossing it in as well.

"Alright, you…wait. What's that smell?"

"Oh, that? Just natural gas…"

An expression of panic immediately overtook the officer. Ciel responded with a gesture towards the other way and one word.

"Run."

The young man did as he was told and ran as fast as he could towards the front door, yelling into his radio.

"Hey! We've got a situation here!"

"Copy that. What's your status?"

"The house…it's full of gas or something, and I think it's gonna blow up any time now! The kid's here!"

"Ciel Amé?"

"Yeah! I think she's gonna take out the whole block at this rate!"

Meanwhile, Ciel had run out through the back door and towards the park, finding the notebook still wrapped up tightly.

Loud noises like gunshots pierced the daylight calm. That was probably the aerosol cans exploding in the oven. Eventually…

From her position, she could see someone walking cautiously towards the house.

"…"

She put on a burst of speed as she raced over.

* * *

Haruka Hikari knew that something wasn't right here. A minute ago, she had seen a fire inside of Ciel's old place. The next moment, it was growing bigger and bigger. A policeman was yelling at her from the next block, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

The moment after that, she was falling to the earth as a near deafening explosion rattled through her ears. She eventually found herself on the ground, a girl on top of her.

"Ciel…?"

"…I'm sorry for everything."

As quickly as she had appeared, she had left without a trace.

"We're gonna need a couple of crews on this one…she really blew it to pieces."

"Copy that, fire squad should be there in about 5."

"Copy."

_What…exactly happened?_

The thought continued to run through Haruka's head. Was this Ciel's doing?

If so, then…why? She glanced behind her and saw a piece of metal embedded in the front of her house…it had flown right through the spot she was standing in a moment ago.

All of a sudden, the answer to that question seemed further away than before.

"Mom!"

Lan and Shuryou were both winded after running several blocks back to the house. They took off as soon as they heard the explosion. The Ayano limousine came around the corner just then as well.

"Oi! Is everyone okay?"

"Lan! Miss Hikari!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm alright, Lan," Haruka said with a smile.

"Thank goodness…I was really scared, Mom. If you'd been caught in that…"

"Sweetheart…it was Ciel."

"!"

"Ciel? But how…?" Maylu asked.

"…Where is she?"

"That way…" Haruka pointed in the direction that Ciel had taken off. "Even after what she did, she came back and saved me," she said, pointing to the debris lodged in the face of the house.

"Ciel…"

"Lan? You okay?" Yai asked.

"…"

"What's wrong?" Maylu said, concerned. "Please, talk to us."

"I think I know what's going through his mind…as does Miss Haruka…" Shuryou said.

"Go after her, honey…"

Lan looked at his mother's face, glowing with compassion and a sense of determination.

"…Thank you, Mom."

He started to sprint once more.

* * *

Faintly, in the distance, there was the sound of feet pounding against the asphalt. The sound was steadily rising.

She didn't notice a thing.

She couldn't hear, couldn't feel anything other than the tears flowing down her cheeks, the screams caught in her throat, the images floating through her head.

There wasn't anything but pain. What was this…? How could this be?

How could this all be real?

The sound of heavy breathing finally reached her ears, and the notebook, turned to the final page, fell to the ground from her hands.

"Ciel."

That voice.

"Ciel…I'm here."

He was always there, wasn't he?

"Lan…I…"

She turned to him.

"I understand now. I-I understand everything."

"…"

"What…do you want to say to me? This is the last time you'll see me like this."

"What do I want to say…?"

He closed his eyes for a moment. _There's only one thing, isn't there? It's obvious…_

"I love you, Ciel."

"…Do you really? Do you really love me?"

"I do."

"What makes you think so?"

"…I've had this feeling ever since we met. I don't know what it is, exactly, but…even though I thought that I would be in pain for a long time, you took that all away whenever you were near me. I just felt so happy…like I do now."

"You make me feel happy, too. Really happy, really peaceful. At least…this side of me."

"Ciel…it doesn't matter whether you have one personality or a million…I'll love you all the same. Every part of you is wonderful, is special. It's what makes you…you! I don't want to you try and be something you're not, because I love you the way you are! And even though we might grow and change, our hearts stay the same, right? That's the part of you that I feel right now…"

"…I see. I feel it, too…"

"I promise, I'll do whatever I can to help you, and I'll use every bit of my strength to protect you from anyone who tries to hurt you. I want…to give you a reason to smile again."

"That's so wonderful…I really don't know what to say…because…because…haha…."

She put a hand to her forehead as she started to laugh.

"Ahaha…I'm…I'm not Ciel…"

"…I don't understand."

"The whole time…it was just a ruse. A clever disguise, a trick. A ploy, a scheme, a plot. Whatever you could call it, this was it…Ciel Amé never existed, not now, not ever…"

"Ciel…you're not making any sense!"

"It's not supposed to, Lan Hikari. The girl who you thought I was…who _I_ thought I was…was just a façade. She was never real, even though she had all of these feelings and desires and emotions and wants and needs…none of that was real, and neither was she."

"You can't mean any of that! Think about what you're saying-"

"Think about it? I just _read _it! That book told me everything, it told me about everything that my father did to me, it told me what I was, and what my true purpose was…it told me my reason for existing…"

She felt herself crying uncontrollably as she tried to speak.

"Lan…give up on me! There's no point anymore!"

"No! I won't ever give up on you, Ciel! I promised! Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has problems! We're all human!"

"I'm not human! I'm just a monster, a machine!"

"Ciel-!"

"The true Zero…wasn't made as a program!"

She placed her hands over her chest.

"That's why I can't be human…**because I'm Zero!**"


	21. The Roaring Souls, Part 1

"…Ciel?"

"I told you…she never existed. I'm Zero."

Ciel and Lan were standing face to face, their eyes firmly locked onto one another. Lan was still trying to grasp the meaning of what Ciel had just told him.

She was…Zero? How could that make any sense?

"There's nothing left for you to save…but I can't say that I'm sorry for that. I've hated living in this false reality for so long."

"Don't talk like that…"

However, even as he kept telling himself that none of what she said was true, he could see her appearance start to change from what it was before. Her eyes weren't as cold as they were earlier, in fact…if he had to describe what that look was…

It looked a lot like insanity, in a way.

"I guess in the grand scheme of things, I'm still just a tool, huh…but at least…"

She pointed to the earth.

"At least I'll get to destroy this world with my own hands."

"You wouldn't…!"

"I would, and I definitely will."

"I guess I've got no choice, then…"

"Hm?"

Lan raised a fist towards Ciel. "I'll be the one to stop you."

She looked surprised for a moment, and then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Ahahahaha! You really mean it! You didn't come half-cocked after all, did you? That's good…that's very good."

"Hah! Did you really expect me to come at you halfway? Even if things didn't turn out like this, I'd still have to fight you one way or another, right? It's better this way, because I don't have to hold back now."

"Oh…is that how it is…?"

She walked up to Lan and whispered in his ear.

"I'm looking forward to it, Lan Hikari."

"…I'm going to save Ciel, and I'm going to beat you."

"Beat me? Why not destroy me?"

"I'm just saying that for now…if things change, I might just take you up on that suggestion."

"My, how sadistic…you don't sound like the boy from before. Are you going to follow me into the darkness for her sake? What if it turns out I was right all along?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there…"

"…Well…"

She turned around and picked up the notebook once more.

"I have no more tears to shed over this, or over anything in my life…this is where it all will end."

"We'll see about that…"

"…"

Ciel started on her way again, but turned her head for a moment to look back at Lan. The look in his eyes just then wasn't something she could accurately describe, but she knew that it made her skin prickle and her blood start to run cold when she saw it.

But even in the midst of that, she felt something akin to excitement build up inside of her.

Whatever that look was, she wanted – no, needed to see it again the next time they met.

* * *

"So, you've put a lot of it together," Yuuchirou Hikari said.

"Yeah…most of it," Eugene Chaud replied.

"Okay…what do you have so far?"

"Well, it seems to be like this. The experiments from years ago connected Gospel to Arcadia Technologies, and with that, Arcadia Technologies straight to Wily and the World Three organization. In essence, using partial data from what was to become the Supernavi Project, the final steps could be completed to create Zero.

Before that, there was a battery of failed experiments, called the Gospel Frequency Tests. It involved using the data from the Gospel program to create pulse signals to manipulate areas of memory. The side effects were near total memory loss and psychotic episodes, as well as an abnormal focus on a single goal or thought. Naturally, there were many of these experiments conducted behind the scenes…this was supposed to tune them with Zero, making them able to fight as a team with increased efficiency and power – if you want, you can think of it as a limited version of the Full Synchronization theory.

The Maverick Frequency was a specific instance, and referred to the point where the subjects reached a state of near, or in some cases complete insanity along with the side effects, yet kept some instances of logical or rational thought, as well an added boost to other mental processes. The main issue was the tendency to destroy anything deemed a target at random. An accident on the net produced these same results in a large population of net navigators…the prototype navigator 'Zero' was then introduced under the guise of a 'Maverick Hunter', and exterminated all of the rogue or 'Maverick' navigators according to the interests of national security.

Everything was kept quiet for a while, until Zero became unstable and destroyed about half of Arcadia Tech's information and resources, before becoming 'sealed' in a way similar to that of Alpha, but on a smaller scale. As a result, most of the non-vital work from the project was stopped until further notice. The problem was with many of the sequences and algorithms involved in his creation, since there were incredible amounts of variables to go through. The ideal thing would be to tune the data with itself internally, then build around it constantly, making changes as needed – the ability to flow with the changing situations was the key. Zero was designed to be a fusion of an adaptable, reactive fighter with the qualities of a traditional program.

Knowing this, the development team needed a medium to be able to translate the raw data into something accessible that could be used towards Zero's growth. The only medium capable of such a thing would be a human with a mentality aimed towards constantly processing the data that made up the Zero Project. In short, a human computer. Procedure wasn't as rigid, and a wider spectrum of results seemed to be better than the mechanical and meticulous results of a computer operation.

The irregular brain patterns that posed a danger to Ciel's life actually were the counters to the major side effects of the Maverick Frequency. Suggesting that she focus on the data, absorb it, and then process it as needed was an easy enough task, considering her maturity at such an early stage in her life. Her brain recorded the frequency once and then it was put into loops at certain intervals, triggered by events which included fatigue, visual, mental, or audio cues. As her actions regarding the project didn't cross her consciousness while she was mentally in control, she never would figure out the nature of her work, or even be able to figure it out when she saw it. She had an innate skill for programming, and that along with advanced procedure was worked into her alongside the data for the Zero Project.

Absorbing the data and having to work with it all of the time made it a literal part of her, so much so that the Zero we've seen is likely nothing like what he was years ago. It's very likely that Zero is more of an idea now rather than simply a tangible program to be tweaked with. Zero is exactly what Ciel sees in her mind, from the inner workings to the outer shell. Every line of code that runs through him runs through her first. But even in that case, they're not copies of each other, since they both think and act autonomously. She isn't a machine but is as close to one with her mental instabilities as you can possibly get. The advantages of the 'human OS' seem apparent in Zero's battle strength and capabilities, and the focus she has on the programming aspects and general missions make her a very efficient operator…but that's just the problem. In making Ciel into what she was, the other, more human-like side of her was left in. That part of her was by default fragile and unstable in nature. Her emotions and mentalities seem to be a moving conveyor belt of sorts, tumbling over each other and pulling one another along at a high rate of speed. That is a danger, but even more dangerous is the possibility of her snapping altogether and deciding to follow her primary objective, which is to destroy the world as we know it.

Her personality shift started after the murders of her parents, Anne-Marie and Darien. Her father was in charge of the Zero Project and CEO of Arcadia Technologies, having a partnership with Weil who acted as the company president. There was a rift between them after Darien had considered halting the Zero Project altogether, but even after the laboratory's 'dissolution' following Darien's death, investigations haven't been able to turn up connections to Gospel or Wily, or even the suspects for the murders of Ciel's parents. Any data pertaining to the Zero Project had mysteriously vanished, or so it was thought. The reality, as it should be clear now, is that all of the relevant data to the Zero Project lies with Ciel Amé, and her alone. Weil could not reproduce Zero by her dictation, or have her hand out instructions on how to build him up from scratch. Instead, he gave the original Zero to Ciel and had her repair it according to what she knew. From there, the plan was to have Zero destroy a significant part of the net, and force everyone to come to him as the one who could stop the destruction. By manipulating those two like a puppeteer, he aimed to remake all of cyberspace in his own image and eventually assume control over all of it in one fell swoop."

"That's a lot. You've done well, Chaud."

"Maybe. We've found the connection between Ciel and Zero, and have realized that Ciel is in essence the original 'Zero'. The connection between Arcadia, Gospel, and subsequently Wily has been made. The reasons for Ciel's actions and mood swings are more apparent, and the grand scheme to take over cyberspace has been revealed. We've answered a lot of questions, we've gotten closer and closer to the truth, but it doesn't mean that much right now. If we want to be practical at present, it's impossible for anyone in any position to stop either Ciel or Zero…"

"Well, we should be able to put something together with enough time. I've been working on something for Lan, but we could complete other things while we operate here. What about the attacks on the facilities?"

"The first move was halted after Iceman intervened to fight one of the intruders. As expected, they had no operator and could not be readily traced back to Weil or his operations. There are at least two more projected targets I'm thinking of."

"Windmill farm and the old incinerator."

"Right. We don't have a timeframe on when the attacks will start, but chances are that they'll be simultaneous, and the navis there will be high-level. The windmill farm is closer from here, so I'll head over there myself. Make sure to get Ayano and Obihiro to start things as quickly as possible. I'll make contact with your son as soon as I get out of range."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

* * *

"So, you're really going to come at her like that, then."

"You say that as if I have another choice."

"Good point."

"The only way to do this is to fight fire with fire at this point…and there's a good reason for it."

"I'm not sure what you're planning right now, but it seems like you've still got your head on straight, for the most part. I'm with you, Lan."

"Thanks, Megaman. I'll really need your help this time."

"Okay. Just give me the word."

Lan looked up towards the sky, deep in thought.

At first, he thought that whatever had happened to Ciel, he wanted to try his best to reverse it, maybe even erase it completely from her, and set her free. At least, that seemed like the right thing to do.

Then something else came to mind, something that wasn't about being the good guy and saving the day completely. The more he looked at that option, the more it seemed to make sense. What he had to do was walk the line for as long as he could…because it was the only way to reach Ciel at this point, the only way to connect with her at all.

It wasn't about becoming the way she was, but about making his intention to fight without holding back, without caring about what would happen when the battle was over and just pushing each other to their limits non-stop. The risk was clearly there, but the reward was sitting right beside it.

"Man…"

Wasn't this like the other times? Another game of Russian Roulette with the world at stake?

No…actually, it wasn't. He knew what the outcome was going to be. Heck, he had always known. He was going to win this battle, and he was going to save Ciel. That was the future, that had always been the future.

All he had to do was make it a reality.

"So all I have to do is win…simple enough, right?"

"You really think so, Lan?"

"Has to be. I've done it before."

* * *

"…That's…what it is, then. I think I understand…"

"Really…that's just unreal. I can't imagine something…like that…"

"…"

"That's what Ciel's been going through…?"

At about the same time, Chaud had made a call to Maylu, to tell her what exactly was going on. Along with Yai, Shuryou, and Haruka, they had moved back inside the Hikari house to listen to Chaud's explanation of the events up to this point.

"How fast can you get to Kotobuki?" he asked Yai.

"Pretty damn fast at this rate. We don't have any time left."

"Alright. Obihiro, how much do you remember about-"

"Gospel Frequency…all of it. Every last detail is in my head," Shuryou replied quickly.

"So you can reverse-engineer it."

"I don't see why I'd have any trouble."

"Fine. We'll see about that when we come to it. Maylu, where's Hikari?"

"He went after Ciel."

"Huh…after her…" _Probably a good chance that he doesn't know the whole story yet._

"Well, then…Miss Hikari…"

"Yes…?"

"You're really caught up in this right now, but if you need to, we can keep you out of the rest of this whole thing until it ends…"

"My…my son is out there about to fight again for the world…my husband's probably in some sort of danger again, too. My son's been shot and nearly killed, my husband kidnapped at gunpoint, and I was put to sleep and dragged to a dark place with people ready to do horrible things to me on a whim. I've cried at nights thinking about what could happen to the people I love, I've seen a son die and come back to life, and I've watched the world reach the brink of existence far too many times. Even now, right now…I feel like falling apart, like going to sleep and waking up from these horrible nightmares…and I only have one thing to say after all of that…"

She clenched her fists.

"I'll drop dead before I **ever** think of running away."

Chaud only smiled through the monitor.

"Well said."


	22. The Roaring Souls, Part 2

"Lan, you have a call."

"Who's it from?"

"Chaud."

"Put him through."

Lan Hikari was making his way back home when he got the call. Eugene Chaud's face appeared on his terminal screen.

"It's me."

"What do you need?"

His response was quick. Chaud realized that he really meant business at this point, so that would save some time.

"Where are you right now?"

"A few blocks from home."

"How fast can you make it downtown to the exhibition?"

Lan figured that he knew what Chaud was talking about. "Ten minutes, maybe less. I'll head there now."

"Okay, good. Call me if anything happens."

"Right."

Lan put his terminal back into its holster as he took off towards the Metroline, but then stopped as he received another call.

"Lan?"

"Hey, Maylu. What's going on?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay…"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"…Ciel is…"

"She's Zero. She told me herself."

"What are you going to do?"

"…If I have to, I'll destroy her completely."

"Lan…don't you…" He had said those words without a trace of emotion. What was…?

"I really do love her…but at this point, I have no choice. If I can't reach her, then I'll have to make her disappear, no matter how painful it may be."

"Hey…you don't mean that. You can't really mean that, Lan."

"I'm sorry, but I mean every word. I can't stay composed in this type of situation, and I can't solve this by being level-headed. I have to throw myself away, just as she has, because it's the only way I'll be able to hold on to her…even though that doesn't sound like it makes sense. This is the way it has to be."

"Lan, you can't!"

"I have to!" he yelled back at her.

She stared at him on the other side of the screen, trying to hold back her tears.

"You can't do this….I love you too, remember? I don't want to lose you like this…please…"

"This is my job…this is my future. No matter how much I hate it, I have to go through with all of this. I've already seen what's going to happen, and I have to make it reality…even if I have to sacrifice myself to do it. It's the only way I can protect everyone right now."

"You can find another way! You always have!"

"…Sorry. I'm sorry, Maylu."

"What do you mean…what are you sorry for, Lan?" she asked with unease.

"Even though I wanted to stop hurting you, I still end up doing it, every time. I can't even promise that this will be the last…I can't do anything else but hurt you. I'm sorry."

"Lan…you…"

"Goodbye, Maylu."

Her face faded from the screen as he took off once more.

"Lan, you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I just…was thinking about something."

* * *

"Would it be weird if I said that I was falling for you?"

"…If I remember correctly, you have a boyfriend already."

"That's not the point. Just answer the question, Chaud."

"If I had to say…it would be a little surreal."

"Oh? And why would that be?"

"…No particular reason." _Well, other than the fact that I'm kind of in love with you._

"I see…that's an interesting thing to say, I believe. At least, for someone like you."

"If that's how you feel, I suppose…"

It was about two years back. Maylu and Chaud were enjoying the crisp fall weather after a movie at the local theatre. The night sky was clear, so they stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the stars above.

"So pretty…" Maylu said breathlessly.

_You say that, but I can't focus on the stars with you around…_

Chaud sighed. They had become good friends ever since Lan sent them off together to the restaurant earlier that summer. He worried that she might not have her head on straight, what with being Lan's girlfriend and all, but it turned out that she was quite interesting to be around, and not as self-absorbed as girls these days seemed to be.

She was attractive, intelligent, clever, gentle…she was the closest thing to perfection if it existed in this world.

Little wonder he was falling for her, Chaud thought. But of course, she was taken. Not that Lan was a bad guy or anything, just that…

"Chaud…something's bothering me. It's been bothering me for a while, now."

"You need to talk about it?"

She smiled. "…You know, a while back you wouldn't have said something like that. At least, not the old you."

"I guess people go through changes at times…?"

"Yeah, I guess…" she said, a bit bitterly. "I think…I'm losing touch with Lan."

"Losing…touch?"

"Yeah. It feels like, sometimes there's a disconnect between us. We haven't had a serious fight since we've been together, we've never needed to. I just don't know what's wrong. Could it be me?"

"…" _That's…probably not something I can answer._

"It's tough, isn't it? I think we might be slipping away from each other."

"It must be painful."

"That's the problem…I don't feel any pain, somehow. I'm not saddened, even though I know it's happening. I just…I don't know."

"…I see."

She turned to walk off. "We can talk along the w-"

"Maylu!"

She slipped on a piece of plastic on the sidewalk, and Chaud put himself beneath her as she started to fall face first. He caught her, but his momentum caused him to fall to the ground as well, Maylu on top of him. They lay directly between two parked cars on the street.

"Ah…"

"…You okay?"

"…I'm not sure."

"Did you hurt-"

"No…not that. I'm not sure I…can stop myself…"

"What are you talking about…!"

He was cut off as she kissed him, right then and there.

_I…what's going on? She's…she is…_

"Sorry…I…"

"Maylu…"

She moved off of him, and was helped up by another person nearby.

"Thank you…Lan?"

Chaud got himself up as well, and noticed the brown-haired boy.

"Hey, what's up? Saw that you guys had an accident…and a little moment there, you know? Either of you hurt?"

"No…"

"No, we're fine, Hikari."

"Okay, cool. But you know, Chaud…" he said with a sly wink, "you owe me for the steal back there."

Chaud's face went bright red at that comment. "What…wait, I…"

"Don't worry, I'm just joking. It was an accident, right?"

"Yeah…just an accident."

"Nothing to worry about, then…"

Maylu felt herself start to worry a bit. The way he said that…it was strange.

"Are you sure…you believe that, Lan?"

He didn't seem taken aback by the question at all. "Well, why not? Looked innocent enough, at least I thought so. Besides, I wouldn't blame him for trying to steal a kiss from you…or the other way around, either, I guess," he replied with a shrug. "I don't see any reason to get suspicious or get upset in any case."

"But you know…" he went on thoughtfully, "I could totally see you two as a couple. Hard to disagree, no?"

"You two are a couple right now, though," Chaud pointed out.

"Well, things could always change, you know," Lan replied casually.

Chaud took a step towards Lan and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, his eyes blazing with anger.

"What the hell's your deal, Hikari? Are you saying you'd just break up with Maylu on a whim?"

"Chaud, please…" Maylu begged.

"Don't put words in my mouth," Lan replied coldly. "I would never leave Maylu without a good reason, make sure you understand that."

Chaud released his grip on Lan's collar. "…Sorry."

"It's fine. I probably would have acted the same way."

"…You're too calm. You're way too cool about this whole thing."

"How's that?"

"What kind of boyfriend lets his girlfriend go out with another guy half the time, catches them in a kiss, and plays off the whole thing like it was no big deal? It makes no sense whatsoever!"

"You take care of her as well as I do, though. I'm just busy a lot, and you two are good friends, right? I trust you, so what's wrong with that?"

"You never think for one minute that I could just take her away from you? Just like that?"

Lan smiled. "I think about it a lot, yeah. But I already told you…I wouldn't mind losing Maylu to you. She'd be happy, and that's all that matters to me, no matter how much it would hurt."

"…"

Maylu had been mostly silent during the exchange…because she knew that all of this was her fault. Maybe, just maybe there was some way to fix all of this, but absolutely nothing was coming to mind.

And the way Lan was talking…was there something he knew that nobody else didn't? Just what could it be?

"Anyways, I'll see you guys later…take good care of yourselves, okay?"

"Lan…"

"Don't worry, Maylu, you're in good hands! I've just got some work to get to, so I'll call you later."

He waved goodbye to them both before making his exit.

"…What's with him?" Chaud asked.

"I don't know. At least…not yet," Maylu replied. _Hopefully, it won't be anything too serious…but I have a bad feeling._

_I have…such a bad feeling somehow…_

_

* * *

_

"Here it is…"

"Cool."

Lan and Megaman had arrived at the exhibition center downtown. They made their way to the biggest thing in the room.

"So this is an incinerator?" Megaman asked.

"Yeah…they used to burn trash and other things in here, to save space in landfills. The fumes went into the atmosphere and would pollute the air, though, so the use of them wasn't encouraged once the effects were revealed."

"I see. And this is where the program is?"

"Should be."

"Let's get in there, then."

"Right. I see our way inside…let's rock. Plug in! Megaman, Transmission!"

Megaman appeared in the network with a burst of blue light. Everything around looked pretty old…and all of it was manually run, it seemed.

"Lan, this place doesn't look very up-to-date."

"Don't think it's supposed to. This system is very old, and it was added onto the incinerator for some automations…it wasn't part of the original machinery."

"Makes sense."

"Let's find the program."

"Gotcha."

"You'll go no further…"

Megaman turned to the source of the new voice. Appearing from above him was someone or something enveloped in flames. The figure hovered above the ground as the flames vanished.

"You won't be getting anything here."

"And who are you?" Megaman asked.

The character in front of them looked like a phoenix of sorts, complete with sharp talons and brilliant wings.

"I am Phoenix Magnion. You will not escape, for I will cleanse your soul with my flame…"

"Is that what they call deletion nowadays?" Lan asked mockingly. "Let's skip the handshakes, shall we? Where's the program?"

"You've come to the wrong place, if that was what you were searching for."

"Lan, there's something…" Megaman started. _This guy doesn't seem like he should be here. Almost like…_

At that moment, they received a call from Chaud.

"What's happening?"

"Hikari…I messed up."

"Huh?"

"I walked you right into a trap…that place is rigged to blow if you plug out without getting a certain code, and I'm sure it's stuck with the navi guarding the program."

"…I'm sure that's not why you called."

"Right…you've been there before. It's about the program, it's not over there."

_That means this guy over here was telling the truth._ "So then, where…"

"It was right under our noses. The oven at your place, it must be some kind of special or limited production model, because that's the next target now."

"What?"

"You heard me…"

Lan growled as he looked at Magnion through his screen. "So that means…this guy's stalling…dammit! And the one at my house…!"

A loud beeping noise pulled Lan out of his train of thought. Now there was…a timer on his screen?

"Lan! This place is set to blow in ten minutes!"

"Man…no way…"

"What's the plan?"

Lan didn't even need to think twice. "The plan? We go wild, that's what! You ready?"

"Born ready!"

"Battle routine, set!"

"Execute!"

* * *

"Maylu! You've got to get out of there!"

"I can't! I have to do this!"

"It's not worth the risk!"

There was currently trouble at the Hikari residence. At some point, the oven had started to malfunction, and Maylu volunteered to check it out with Roll, since they had a bit of experience with technical errors at home.

However, this wasn't what they were expecting. Maylu was stuck in the kitchen, surrounded by smoke and flames. Haruka and Shuryou had started looking for some way to put out the fire, but the extinguisher was missing and the kitchen sink was too dangerous to get near.

Maylu couldn't disconnect her PET…which was bad news since Roll was now stuck in a fight where she was struggling to dodge the attacks thrown at her.

She took a punch to the side of her head and flew a good distance before righting herself and sliding to a stop. The one shot had taken apart half of her helmet, and that was just a glancing blow, too.

"This isn't good…he's really strong."

The navigator in question was large and muscular, decked out in red with an elaborate looking helmet, and what looked like a large cannon over one of his arms. He called himself Fefnir.

"Man, you're weak. I was expecting someone else to show up, but you could be a decent warm-up…"

"Roll!"

"I'll be fine, Maylu. I just have to start figuring out how I can beat this guy."

"Roll, you said 'I have to'…" Maylu started to cough, as the smoke around her got thicker.

"That's because you're going to get out of here."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you stay here much longer, you'll-"

"Shut up! Don't you think I know that?" Maylu said angrily. "I don't care what happens, I'm going to stay here and fight with you, Roll! You're…you're way too important to me to just throw away like that. You're not just a navigator to me!"

"Maylu…"

"Don't you dare think…that I'll leave you. As long I can still stand, I'll be with you."

Roll smiled and tossed the rest of her shattered helmet to the ground below, her blonde hair falling onto her shoulders.

"I guess I can't argue...but I'm happy. Thank you, Maylu."

Her green eyes focused on her opponent, and she put herself into a fighting stance. Fefnir cracked his neck, an amused look on his face.

"Well, looks like it's gonna get interesting, finally!"

"I'm ready," Roll said calmly.

"Right, me too," Maylu responded.

They both yelled in unison.

"**Let's get it on!**"


	23. The Roaring Souls, Part 3

Maylu was trying to hold herself together in front of the burning oven, while Shuryou and Haruka looked for some way to put out the spreading flames.

"The extinguisher…I know it was right where I left it earlier," Haruka said.

"You think someone could have moved it?" Shuryou asked.

"No…wait, it's very much possible…" She took a good hard look at the front of the oven as flames flared up. It was then that she understood.

"I was kidnapped earlier…someone came into my house and knocked me out. They must have moved the extinguisher and put _that_ on the oven," she said, pointing.

"What do you…" Shuryou strained to see what she was talking about, but it became clear to him as well…

"A wireless transmitter. So that's it, huh? I wasn't using my head earlier…the oven network is an enclosed space, so someone must have snuck that navi in somehow. Let's see…"

He pulled out his pocket computer and removed a panel.

"…if we can't use that to our advantage."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm going to try and hijack the signal for my own use. If it works, we can help Maylu and Roll."

"Watch yourselves, help has arrived!"

Bursting through the front door were several maids and butlers from Yai's home, all carrying fire extinguishers. They quickly went to work and put out the flames within moments.

"Great! Thanks for your help, everyone!" Yai strode in as her helpers left. "That takes care of the fire." She took note of Shuryou dismantling his gadget and putting seemingly random pieces together.

"What's this you're doing?"

"He said he's going to hijack a signal," Haruka replied.

"Hijack a…are you insane? I understand it's for a good cause, but if the Officials find out you're doing something like this-"

"I'd rather have them lock me up than sit idly by and do nothing, Yai. This is my way of helping right now. I have to do this, okay? You guys are my friends, so I'll do anything if it means keeping you all safe."

Yai was silent for a moment before nodding in response.

"Okay…I understand. Do what you have to."

"Thank you, Yai."

"Just make sure you understand that I'm not letting them harm another hair on your head."

He smiled. "If it's like that, then I've got nothing to worry about. Okay, everything's set. Yai, I need to borrow your PET…please connect it to the port on my pocket computer there."

"Right. What's next?"

"Place a call to Lan. We need to see what he's doing right now in order for this to work."

Something clicked in Yai's head. "I get it now. You're trying to make a 'bridge' for Lan and Megaman to cross over to reach the oven network…"

"Yeah…I'm hoping nobody catches on and tries to jam the signal, or else this plan will fail."

"Okay, leave it to me." Yai made the connection, and Lan's face appeared on screen.

"Yai. What's up?"

"Where are you right now?"

"The exhibition downtown."

"What? What's so important over there?"

"We've been duped…the program Weil's lackeys were after is in the oven at our house. This was just a trap set to trip us up."

"Well, why don't you just get out of there?"

"Wish it were that easy. If I plug out, this whole place will blow sky high. I've got less than ten minutes before it does that regardless right now. I need a code to stop the countdown, but something tells me it's not anywhere here at all. I have to beat this phoenix guy before we can think about anything else."

"That doesn't sound good…your full attention would be needed if what I'm planning was to work. I want to give you guys the means to help Maylu and Roll," Shuryou explained, "but if you're stuck in that kind of situation, I don't know what I can do about that."

"No worries...let me get rid of this annoyance and we'll get back to you. See ya."

At that time, Megaman was busy dodging the attacks launched by Phoenix Magnion. He had tried counter-attacking, but would end up hitting an illusion each time.

"Stalling tactic…I have to admit, it's working really well right now."

"Six minutes," Lan said. "This is getting annoying."

"His attacks are fire-based, I've gotten that much. Looks like we'll need to force our way through while he's attacking."

"…Might as well use it now, I guess."

"What, you mean the stuff Dad sent us?"

"Yeah. It could help us out of this mess a bit faster. Let's try the first one, shall we?"

"You've read up on it, I hope."

"Yeah, I did. It's easy enough to use."

"Okay, lay it on me, brother."

"Right. Burst Sign, execute!"

They both waited for something to appear, but…nothing.

"Huh. Maybe I messed it up?" Lan asked.

"No, it's working fine. I can feel it." Megaman watched as Magnion came blazing down from above as a fireball.

"Though this does feel really familiar…"

"Prepare to meet your end, foolish navi!"

"Ah, stuff it." Megaman wound up and punched Magnion as he came screaming in, sending the navi flying straight back along the same path he had come. The remnants of a bright white aura faded from around his fist.

"Lan, isn't this O.I.S.?"

"Seems like it, but this version's a lot more stable, and you can use it however you like. It works really well in bursts, I guess. Maybe that's where the name came from, too."

"Figures. I knew something was definitely unusual about it. Looks like Dad managed to improve on our original project, huh?"

Lan looked over at the timer. "Five minutes."

Suddenly, Megaman was grabbed by his shoulders and tossed into the air.

"Whoa!"

"Megaman! What's going on?"

"Aw, shoot…"

"Prepare yourself!"

Magnion disappeared from above Megaman and shot up from below like a golden missile.

"**Rising Flame!**"

"I'll just need one chip, Lan."

"Yeah, got it."

Megaman rotated himself so that his back was to the attacking Magnion, and pointed his Buster into the air.

"Charge Shot!"

He fired and used the momentum from the shot to send him flying right towards his opponent, then twisted around and stretched out his right hand.

"Here it is!"

"Aqua Tower, battlechip in, download!"

Megaman launched another punch right at Magnion, his fist glowing blue with the energy from the Aqua Tower. They clashed and bounced back off each other for a moment, floating in the air.

Megaman took the opportunity to back flip and kick Magnion straight downwards, letting his momentum do the rest as he fell quickly after him, winding up again for another strike.

Magnion hit the ground hard and bounced before being punched right back through the floor, an Aqua Tower erupting from where he and Megaman landed. A moment later, only Megaman was left in the soaked crater he had created.

"Got him."

"Nice moves there."

"Thanks. I've been working on some hand-to-hand stuff lately."

"Any codes?"

"…Nothing. How much time?"

"4 and a half coming up. I'm gonna call Yai again." He made the connection once more.

"Hey! You're finished over there, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Coming up on four minutes soon."

"This signal might take a bit to get you across," Shuryou said. "About a minute or two at the most."

"Lan? I'm not liking this," Megaman said with concern.

"Me neither."

"What do you want to do?"

"Well, the best thing is to focus on getting ourselves out of here. There won't be enough time to go back and forth from what it sounds like…so we'll let them handle it themselves."

"Lan, are you insane? They're barely hanging on in there!" Yai yelled.

"Come on, Yai…did you forget how Maylu works in situations like this? She'll be fine, and so will Roll."

"Lan…this isn't just a matter of confidence," Shuryou said.

"You're right. It's actually a matter of fact."

* * *

While all of that was happening, Roll and Maylu were starting to get a feel for their current situation. The larger and stronger Fefnir was having trouble hitting Roll and she focused on ducking and weaving through his moves, using her speed to her advantage as best as she could.

"Hold still!"

"Make me!"

Roll dodged an incoming punch from close range and slid right under Fefnir, putting herself right behind him.

Maylu quickly slotted in chips to follow up. "M-Cannon, battlechips in, double download!"

"Locked on! Fire!"

Fefnir barely managed to spin around and block both blasts as he was pushed back.

"Darn, almost!" Roll said, breathing heavily.

"You okay, Roll?"

"Peachy. I'd really like an energy boost right now, though…"

"Ha! I guess you really want me to get serious, then. That's fine with me," Fefnir said. "But I'm warning you, I tend to play a bit rough."

"Is that so?" Roll replied.

"I'll just show you." He materialized another one of his busters over his free arm. "Make sure you're ready!"

"I'm guessing that we'll go with the usual?" Roll asked her operator.

"I don't see why not. Let's go for it."

"Whatever you're trying, it won't work on me!" Fefnir shouted, firing flame shots from his busters.

Roll dodged quickly as Maylu closed her eyes and breathed steadily.

"Concentrate…and feel what's going on…"

"What the heck is she-?"

Haruka placed a hand over Yai's mouth. "She's trying to focus. This is something I've seen Lan do a lot in the past few years. It's called 'Synchronization'."

"Full Synchro…?" Shuryou asked.

"Yes, that was it. 'Full Synchronization'. However, my husband talked about a level that was beyond that."

His eyes widened in surprise. "They're going to try _that_? Does she know how difficult that is?"

"I think that's why she's going to try it…"

"I just hope she can handle the stress…" Shuryou said worriedly. "It'll be bad if the pressure gets to her right now."

"Then we have to hope that everything will be alright."

Maylu slowly opened her eyes.

"Are we ready?"

"We are," Roll replied.

"Right, then. Shotgun! Battlechips in, triple download!"

Roll fired off three shots at Fefnir, who didn't even flinch as he threw a buster-assisted punch at her. She sidestepped him and knocked away his arm with a spin kick.

"Spreader! Battlechips in, double download!"

Roll ended her spin and nailed Fefnir in the face with two Spreader shots, forcing him to stagger backwards.

"Damn you!"

"MagLine, battlechip in, download!" Roll landed and pushed a foot forward, sending a magnetic path right under Fefnir that rooted him to his current position.

"Okay, it's time! Overdrive Invoke System, activate!"

A soft white glow started to flow off of Roll as she stood ready for her next move. Maylu's free hand moved in a blur as she slotted in chips at a furious pace.

"Cannon, battlechips in, rapid fire download!"

"Locked on! Fire!"

"Dammit-!"

Fefnir had no time to react as Roll fired cannon blasts as quickly as she possibly could. The delay between the navi and her operator had now disappeared completely. Every movement went straight through to them both, their consciousnesses linked together.

"He's not done," Roll said.

"Yeah…but we'll take care of that soon enough," Maylu replied.

"…So, this is your real power, huh? I'm impressed," Fefnir remarked, his body smoking from the cannon fire. "Looks like I'll have to kick it up a notch, huh?"

"You're not getting that chance…we'll take you out right now!"

* * *

_Where am I again…? It's dark._

_Oh…that's right. I've disappeared. After learning the truth, I couldn't keep myself awake any longer…now I can't feel anything that's going on. _

_Right…I'm just an illusion, after all._

Ciel felt herself floating freely in space, darkness all around her. She could see herself just fine, but everything else was just pitch black. For some reason, she was wearing a white dress, but…

There wasn't anything else here.

Not that it mattered, anyways. She was just a part of someone's imagination, a fictional character, a prop in this grand play she had fallen into.

"To be someone, yet no one at the same time…"

As she drifted on, something suddenly came into view. It looked like a small square of light, big enough for her to stand on easily.

"So…there are two choices now…"

Either drift on in this endless dark world, or take a step into the light again. The memories of her life so far ran through her head as she meditated on her decision.

"What do I have in the world of light? What is there but all of the pain and suffering that consumed me, day by day? All of the hatred that ate at my soul until I went insane trying to flush it out, the blood that continually stained my hands, the thoughts that went through my head all of the time…why do I want to go back to that? Or is that not what this is about? Isn't there something I want there? There should be…and there really is.

I remember, with these lips…I told him that he made me happy. All of that was true, every last word. And yet, I never truly told him that I loved him back. I've never reached the point where I could feel his heart beat alongside my own…I want to have that feeling, even if it's only for a second. I love him enough that I could endure all of that pain for a little while longer, so that I'd be able to look into his eyes again, and say those words…"

She stepped onto the square and watched as it took her further on. Something else soon came into view.

"So you've reached here…that means you're not ready to give up yet."

Standing in front of her, on her own square of light, was another girl. She had long black hair that reached down past her waist, and wore a black dress that somehow gave off a glow even in the perpetual darkness. Her eyes, like Ciel's, were blue. Her body type mirrored Ciel's as well – slender and shapely.

"Who are you?" the blonde girl asked with wonder.

"I suppose if you had to give me a name…it's Noire. I represent the darkness inside of you, Ciel. I was alongside of you when you started to shut down after you were kidnapped, and have been following your will since that time. However, I could no longer assume control after recent events."

"Darkness…? So it was your idea to take part in this project with Weil?"

"As I said, I have been following your will for some time…if I did anything, it was based on a decision you had made, Ciel."

"Decisions I made…" Ciel thought back to what had happened so far. She had felt a second presence guiding her, if only a little bit, but for the most part, all of this really was her doing. Those were really her thoughts, her feelings about everything.

But then…

"I am but one part of the puzzle, Ciel. The reason I'm here is because someone else is in complete control of your existence right now."

"You mean that girl who calls herself Zero."

"Yes. Ciel, you need to understand the reason for your breakdowns since that day…the day your parents died."

"You know what was causing them?"

"We were part of the reason."

"We?"

"…Do you remember what Chaud said about darkness and light?"

"'Light cannot exist without darkness, and darkness cannot exist without light. True strength comes from the existence of both, and the spirit to use them both with great ability.' That means there's someone else here, a girl representing the light inside of me."

"Correct."

"So…where exactly does Zero fit into this?"

"She doesn't…unless you're out of the picture. Zero was created from your negative emotions, your desires, and your hatred. She's a bundle of pure insanity, the person you could have become without us, darkness and light, to guide you."

"But she said that I was just an illusion…"

"When she said that, she meant the existence of Ciel Ame as a whole, and not necessarily you or I. She is very much correct in that sense…we have been living a lie for many years. Zero would battle with us periodically, and she would always say that she wanted to do the best she could to fulfill your dreams and desires, so naturally she wanted complete control of 'Ciel' as a being. However, as light and darkness we resisted against her influences constantly…sometimes involving in the psychosis you would experience in the real world, including trying to kill yourself as a method of ending the suffering…"

"I see…"

"Zero was born on the day you saw your parents leave this world. She has been near you ever since, wishing for you to get stronger and stronger. She hates the world and all of humanity, and wishes to destroy it, going even further than Weil would plan to do. Seeing as she was born from your deepest desires…you feel the same way."

The girl known as Noire was very straightforward with her words and had a somewhat cold manner of speaking…but everything reminded her of the way she could be at times, Ciel thought.

"Huh…so I've never really been in control of my life, have I?"

"We've had to guide you since you started to detach yourself from existence after all of the trauma…but you have had at the very least partial control of your life's decisions."

"What about Lan…is it really me that loves him, or is it you guys?"

"It's…actually both."

Ciel gave Noire a confused look. "Huh?"

"As you fell in love with him, so did we. All of us, even Zero, love him in our own way. He's looked at us individually, searching for the real Ciel but never neglecting us. And now, he's taking himself to a state of darkness just so he can try to reach through to Zero…and possibly bring you, the true Ciel, back into existence."

"…Lan is amazing. He…really is. I love him more than anything, Noire. Even more than I…hate the world I live in."

"You've acknowledged it?"

"Yes, I have. I know that Zero couldn't exist without my influence, from what you've said. It took all of this to realize that these feelings were buried inside of me, waiting to come out. Even though Zero is taking all of those things to extremes, it doesn't change the fact that I really do feel that way, that I want to erase this world's existence because of what it did to me. But those feelings can't consume me. If I can realize my own worth and change the world, perhaps I can change my feelings as well. It'll all take time, and this bitterness won't go away, but I feel like I'll be able to make it if I just try."

"Ciel! Ciel! I missed you so much!"

She turned and was met with a hug from a girl with white hair.

"You're still so pretty…and when your heart was sparkling just then, I got all warm inside. I'm so happy you're here."

Like Noire, she had the same blue eyes and body shape as Ciel. Unlike Noire, her hair was white and very curly, and she had a spark of energy to her as opposed to Noire's calm and cool – or rather, ice cold – demeanour.

"Let's see, if this is Noire…you're Blanche, right?"

"Ah! You're amazing, Ciel! Yes, I'm Blanche. It's nice to meet you. I'm the pure light inside of you, representing your gentle nature and happiness. Everything's been upside down ever since Zero took over…she's being really selfish and mean."

"I see…"

"I haven't been close to you lately…the last time was when you and Lan spoke. We were all having a nice talk when she barged in all of a sudden. But, I understand her reasons for doing so. Lan's really dreamy, and he's the nicest guy…"

"But she doesn't like that aspect of him, does she?" Ciel asked.

"No…she wants to see how far she can push him," Noire said. "This is a test in order to bring out another side of Lan, one that he's likely been trying to get rid of through other means. Once that happens, he won't be the same person you remember…"

"I can't do anything about that right now, though. If this is what Zero wants, then let's give it to her."

"Are you sure, Ciel?" Blanche asked fearfully.

"Yes. If it's Lan, I want to see everything he is…no matter how painful it may be to watch. If this is the man I love…"

She somehow remembered the look he her gave that last time, before she faded away from her own consciousness completely, the way it sent a shiver down her spine and made her breath shorten. Whatever that look was, she wasn't sure she wanted to ever see or feel that again…

But it was clear that she would have to. For as much as he had helped her deal with her pain, he kept something greater inside of himself. That wouldn't do.

That wouldn't do at all.


	24. The Roaring Souls, Part 4

"Hm. This is recent, I see."

"Yes, ma'am. The rate of deterioration is up by twenty percent from the original curve predicted by our models. Even if there was a miscalculation, a twenty percent margin is far too large after our spot checks."

"Tampering?"

"It has to be the case."

"Oho…interesting."

Ciel was currently in an office building downtown, having taken a set amount of space for her own research and operations independent from Weil; however, the two were still connected in terms of information and project planning. Her two assistants, Rouge and Jaune, worked with her daily monitoring various transmissions and data regarding Zero.

"We've also picked up signals that indicate another strong presence in the area Zero is in, one other than Leviathan," the brown-haired Rouge said.

"Data indicates it may be Bass," the blonde-haired Jaune added.

Ciel frowned at the news. "Bass. That's not good at all. Status report."

"Leviathan is at eighty-four percent capacity. Zero is at thirty-two percent and dropping."

"Sabotaging me at this stage in the game, old man? What could you be up to, exactly?" Ciel said to herself aloud. It could have been worse, but still…this wasn't the ideal situation.

"What's taking Fefnir so long?"

"He's run into interference," Jaune said.

"From who? There shouldn't be anyone there, at least not anyone of importance."

"Sixty-four percent capacity and currently holding. Armed Phenomenon mode is on standby."

"What the hell? What's he getting that ready for?"

"Data analysis finished. Records are saying…the opponent is Roll, operated by Maylu Sakurai. Current status is at seventy-nine percent and holding, synchronization is at ninety-nine percent, delay time one-thousandth."

"Oh, Maylu. How interesting," Ciel said with a smile. "She's definitely a fighter, that one."

"Should we prepare for interception?" Rouge asked.

"Yes. Send Phantom to extract Fefnir and complete the mission. Have Flauclaws cover for Harpuia so he can intercept Bass, but only if it is necessary. Has someone fallen into my trap already?"

"The incinerator countdown has started. Three minutes and forty-five seconds remaining. Operator identified as Lan Hikari."

"Well, isn't this exciting? How will you get out of this one, Lan?"

* * *

"And so it goes. I believe the pieces are now in place."

At that time, Doctor Weil was not very concerned about the events currently happening around him. Neo Arcadia Data & Technologies, the company he had created and run since his arrival into Electopia, was doing fairly well and served as a nigh-impenetrable front for his true operations.

However, his real plan had only started recently.

With Ciel having created Zero's core programming and functions, Weil began to go through the possibilities of the Net's destruction and resurrection. It was then that he came up with an even better idea.

Using the 'Original Zero' instead of Ciel's rebuilt copy would definitely yield better results when it came to overall power, and it would have an added bonus of complete control of this 'Zero's' actions. Taking the reconstructed shell and doing his own modifications led to the creation of something even greater than the original Zero Project…something even greater than the culmination of nearly ten years worth of work that had manifested itself in the girl known as Ciel Ame.

"In one fell swoop, I've managed to surpass you, Darien. Even as you used your own daughter to carry out your schemes from beyond the grave…I've taken your work and made something far better out of it."

The new 'Original Zero'…no, far more than that. The true'God of Destruction'…the end of this world as everyone would know it.

"Yes, the end…as Tadashi Hikari gave us the beginning in Alpha, I will give humanity the end…in Omega."

As if on cue, the navigator snapped its eyes open and looked at Weil through the large viewing screen.

"Lord Weil…I am at your command."

"Excellent, Omega." The navi looked almost exactly like Zero, just that his armour was a deeper red and was thicker near his arms and legs. His Omega Saber was stored in a compartment in his back.

He had the same green eyes and blonde hair as Zero, but spoke in a darker and more solemn tone.

"I'll need you to search for something important. Don't actively run into any fights with those other navis yet."

"Understood, Lord Weil."

"You will search for and destroy the program known as the 'X Option'. It is imperative that you do this as quickly as possible, Omega. If anyone interferes, delete them immediately. Make no contact with me until you complete the mission and have reached a safe location."

"Yes…understood. Commencing mission." He warped off in a flash of crimson light.

"Is that why you looked at me with no fear in your eyes, woman? Because you had some way to stop me even if you died? Foolish. I will find and destroy your little program, and all of your sacrifices will have been in vain."

He looked at the data as it was brought up on the screen.

"Anne-Marie…what exactly could you have been trying to do, my former assistant?"

* * *

"Ugh…! This isn't good…"

"Zero, hang in there…"

Trying to find their way back to base, Leviathan and Zero had to stop because of the latter's deteriorating condition.

"Something's definitely wrong. You shouldn't be like this," she said with concern.

"I know…but it's happening like this after all…this is sabotage."

"Sabotage? The Officials?"

"No, they couldn't have done this…it was…it…"

Zero closed his eyes and collapsed.

"Zero! Wake up, you have to wake up!" Leviathan tried shaking him out of his slumber, but nothing was happening, nothing was working.

And that presence…that strong, suffocating presence was getting closer and closer to them. Somehow, the atmosphere around them felt so heavy…

"I can't give up. I'll have to move on another way." She slung one of Zero's arms around her shoulders and lifted him up, his feet dragging on the ground as she walked. Even though she had recovered some energy, she wasn't at full strength, and whatever was back there…

"It seems as if you're in a hurry."

No. It couldn't be.

"Is this supposed to be the Zero I've been hearing about?"

How did he get here so quickly? Just how?

It took a few moments for Leviathan to realize where she was…on the ground. Everything hurt, and she could barely move.

Zero…where was Zero? Her eyes scanned the area around her quickly, feverishly.

"Zero…?" she said weakly. "…Where…are you?"

Instantly, she felt her neck being crushed by a heavy boot.

"You can still speak…it seems you're a bit tougher than I thought."

Some kind of pressure, something other than the boot on her neck was slowly crushing her, making it so that she couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but watch.

And feel.

She bit her lip as one of her arms disappeared with a Buster shot.

"I see that I won't have to waste any more time here. So much for the God of Destruction and his merry band."

Bass pointed his Buster arm at Leviathan's head, watching as her eyes widened in horror.

"Sorry."

All of a sudden, he was knocked off balance and his shot instead tore apart the ground beside Leviathan's head. He spun around and aimed his Buster at the attacker's face…

…only to have Zero's Buster Gun pointed in his face simultaneously.

"So, he lives. But it seems your condition is deteriorating."

"…Sorry, Leviathan. I was far too weak, and I've caused you trouble because of that. Hurry back to Ciel, and I'll take care of this."

She forced herself up with her remaining arm, and looked back at Zero.

"Get a move on," he said.

"…"

"Leviathan…"

"Frost Javelin!" She summoned her weapon in a flash of light and pointed it towards Bass.

"…So you're staying."

"You said that if I walked with you…we could cut down anyone. Do you take that back, Zero? If you do…I'll leave…"

He managed to smile at that, somehow. What a stubborn woman.

A loyal, stubborn woman.

"You might be interesting opponents after all, it seems," Bass commented.

"I am Fairy Leviathan of the Meikai Army. Prepare yourself!"

"And I'm just what you see here…Zero."

"Well, since we're introducing ourselves…just call me Bass."

He pointed his other Buster arm towards Leviathan.

"Prepare to be deleted."

* * *

"Ara, ara…you've gotten yourself into quite a mess, Lan Hikari."

"Sorry about that…maybe some of this stress is getting to me?"

"It doesn't seem like it. We all make mistakes once in a while, right?"

"Yeah. I'm just glad I have friends like you to help me out. I would be a pile of ashes right now if it wasn't for you."

"Oh, Lan…I still have yet to repay you for everything you've done for me so far."

"Hey, don't you worry about that."

"Mm…but I insist. A person in my position can't let a debt go unpaid. Of course, there are several ways I could…_repay_ you, Lan."

"Oi…let's not go there. I've got enough to think about right now as it is."

"I suppose. So, what will you do now?"

"I need to get back and see what's going on at home. Maylu and the others were in trouble the last time I checked.

"Okay. I'll be around in a few moments…just hang on."

"?" Lan wondered what she was talking about, until he heard something blaring sharply just outside. He plugged out Megaman before leaving the building, and stopped in front of a black convertible car.

A young woman with bright blonde hair sat in the driver's seat, and pulled her black sunglasses down just a bit to look over at Lan.

"I'm guessing you'll need a ride?"

"…Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Hop in," she said. Lan jumped over the door and into the passenger's seat, strapping himself in as the car accelerated quickly.

"Make sure you're buckled in properly. I'm not very good at driving slowly…or very safely, for that matter."

"I'm not too worried."

"Glad to hear it."

"Still, I have to ask…what are you doing around here, Princess?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? I'm here to help you out, the same way that you helped me."

"How'd you hear about it?"

"I have my sources, Lan. Don't worry…I'll make sure everything goes as planned."

Lan nodded in response. "Right. Me too."


	25. The Roaring Souls, Part 5

With a quick movement, Roll placed her hands in front of her, making a heart shape with her fingers as she did so.

"Ready!"

"Okay!" Maylu replied.

"Locked on! **Fire!**"

The heart-shaped blast raced towards Fefnir and hit him dead center, throwing up a huge explosion and sending him flying backwards.

Maylu found herself weakened and panting, but still pushed forward. "Again, Roll!"

"Okay…locked on!"

Fefnir was slow to get up. "Argh…you can't be serious…how is this little girl packing so much power?"

"Second shot…**Roll Blast!**"

The attack landed again, and Maylu struggled to keep herself standing as more energy rushed out of her.

"Maylu! We have to stop!"

"No…Roll, again."

"Maylu…"

"Just once more…Roll…" she pleaded.

"…Okay. Just once more…!"

She focused and aimed her attack again.

"Final shot!"

"Damn…it!"

"**Roll Blast!**"

The shot raced from Roll's hands, and another explosion went up as it landed for the final time.

"Done…there's nothing he could do…"

"…" Maylu felt her body weakening by the second…this was more strain than she had realized.

However, her mind snapped back to attention not a second later. "Roll!"

The blonde navi ducked as a kunai whipped past her from behind. She moved quickly to one side and searched for the enemy, finding him standing in front of Fefnir, who was somehow still intact.

"Shoot…! That attack didn't work?"

"It worked perfectly, actually. You're quite powerful, for such a small creature."

"You…!"

"Don't exert too much energy in that state…"

"…" As much as she hated to hear it, he was right…Maylu probably couldn't take much more of this.

"I am the leader of the Zan'ei Army, Hidden Phantom." He wore a white mask that covered the top part of his face, with dark armor on his body and a red, twin-tailed cape on his back.

"I don't care who you are…"

"Well, it figures. Anyways, I suppose that we'll take our leave."

"Says who? I'll stop you!"

"I doubt that."

"?"

"Roll, look out!"

Two more Phantoms came from either side of Roll…what? Clones?

"Darn it!"

"Shotgun, battlechips in, double download!"

"Go!" Roll crossed her arms and hit the clones with a shotgun blast each, blowing them into oblivion. "Are there more?"

"A couple," Maylu said weakly. "Why…what's the reason for…oh…!"

"What?"

"The program…! Some program they're after…"

"Ah! So that means…"

One of the Phantom clones moved towards Roll with a glowing red sphere. That had to be it, the program!

"No way I'm letting you get by!" She positioned her hands for another attack. "Locked on! **Fire!**"

The blast rushed towards the clone holding the orb, but another jumped in front and took the shot head on, exploding into a stream of data.

"What…?"

"Too bad…hopefully, I'll be able to test your strength again, one day. Goodbye for now."

"No…!"

Roll felt her strength drop as the synchronization ended.

"I couldn't stop him…I was too slow."

"…"

"…Maylu? Are you okay?"

"…"

"Maylu? Please…answer me…"

"Roll."

"Shuryou?"

"Maylu's fine, she's just out of it, really exhausted. You guys did well, though I wish I could have trapped both of them in there…"

"I'm sorry…"

"What for? It wasn't your fault. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"I hope so…" Roll slumped to her knees and sighed. "I really hope so."

* * *

a/n: Hey. It's been a long time, hasn't it? This May would have been six years since I posted this story. I won't take too long, since I think you know what's coming next. But I'll tell you all about how I'll do it.

First of all, I want to thank all of you who either dropped a review, followed, favourited, and just read this story of mine. I appreciate and thank you for it, thank you for sticking with me all of this time. S'been nearly a year since I updated which is a lot better than I thought…seemed like two or three, really.

But I love this story. It was the first big project I started, and my first real foray into the Megaman section of the site, any section of any fan-writing site, really. I have a wicked amount of support for this story and a lot of work poured into it. That being said, I'm finished here.

Notice this. I'm finished _here._

The story's far from over, and I won't get too dramatic about it right now. I'm going to rewrite this thing from the beginning and because of that, a lot of things won't happen or will be changed. My thoughts are on creating a new story with a modified title – it'll be the same as this one only with plot, dialogue, and story fixes. There were inconsistencies and that…weird batch of Japanese names I had near the beginning. Wow.

I'm not going to delete this one. I haven't deleted a story in about six or so years, so yeah. This'll be a placeholder for whatever I decide to do next – if you have a suggestion on how I should do the rewrite, drop me a PM or a review. I'm leaning towards a newer copy, but your input's appreciated. You are the audience, after all.

Anyways, I've grown as a writer and I think this story could be done better. I think it could grow as I have. So that's my reasoning, and I hope you all understand.

Thanks, and God bless.

~ Howlitzer


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